Literature is a huge form of
communication in everyday life. It comes in many different forms such as the
text in a book, to the notes your teacher gave you, to the advertisements
plastered around town, all the way to the words that pop up on your computer
screen. No matter where you look, some form of literature can be found. Now
imagine if you were not able to comprehend those words. Even if you were able
to sound out the words and read the text, without being able to summarize what
you read there would be no benefit to the process. Comprehension of the words
around you would not be able to happen without being able to summarize the
work. It is important that you understand how to pick out what the author is
saying to his or her audience, as well as their purpose behind their words. Being
able to summarize will not only help you survive in everyday situations, but it
can also help you strive in the workforce. The better you are at comprehending what
you read, the more likely you are to understand what it is your boss is needing
from you etcetera. Overall, being able to critically analyze all types of
literature will help you understand the messages that authors are trying to get
across which will inevitably make the world seem less foreign to the reader.
In the article “Combating Myths
About Distance Education”, Todd Gilman discusses the value that online
instruction has on higher education. In the beginning of the article, Gilman
states his credentials as not only a librarian at Yale University but also as
an experienced teacher both online and in in-class settings. It is important that
he state these right off the bat so that the reader understands that he is
qualified to speech about this type of higher education. Gilman then goes on to
say that he enjoys his work, but not the lack of respect that he receives from
those who teach “ground courses”. He also states that although he agrees “some
online “colleges” are not anything more than "diploma mills", he wishes that the
administration department would stop looking at him like “Pinocchio” and start
given him the respect he deserves. His decision to state this disapproval leads
him to further explain why he, and many other online professors and students
should be given credit. He then begins by explaining that each student learns
differently and that some may not be cut out for online courses, just like some
may not be for a face-to-face delivery. Gilman explains that online courses
take a certain type of student and professor to make in run properly. He states
that both parties involved require a lot of initiative, responsibility and
ability to adjust. As the teacher you need to be able to organize the course
and the information that will be presented so that it can easily be understood
by the students. As the student, it is required that they keep up with the
information and not fall behind. Overall, Gilman wants those that are
interested in higher education to acknowledge the parties on both side of the
computer screen as it requires as much or possibly even more work and responsibility in order for
it to run effectively.
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