{"id":3697,"date":"2021-03-03T09:57:06","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T09:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T16:03:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T16:03:32","slug":"reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading online vs offline: what&#8217;s best for learning?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When it comes to reading online vs. offline, what is the better choice for students? Online learning is now a common and accessible way to learn for many students. Teachers can send links to recommended reading materials and finding sources for essays or research projects is simple.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when it comes to reading for learning, research shows that reading from paper is the better choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">Two Kinds of Reading<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two main kinds of reading: linear and non-linear reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Linear reading:<\/strong> the reader reads the text from the left to the right start to finish. Also known as slow reading or deep reading.<\/li><li><strong>Non-linear reading:<\/strong> the reader skims material jumping to different sections. Also known as scattered reading.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">Reading on Screens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to choosing to read online vs offline, online reading may seem like the easy choice.  However, online reading can be very distracting. While it is easy to get information from online sources, the brain processes digital reading differently than it does\u00a0when reading offline from paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Shallower Processing<\/strong>. Online means constant exposure to fast-paced, and rapidly changing information. Digital media trains the brain to process information more rapidly and less thoroughly leading to what is known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainfacts.org\/neuroscience-in-society\/tech-and-the-brain\/2020\/reading-on-paper-versus-screens-whats-the-difference-072820\">shallowing hypothesis<\/a>. Shallow processing retains fewer details.<br><\/li><li><strong>Hard On The Eyes.<\/strong> Constantly looking at the blue light from screens can be hard on the eyes over time.\u00a0 While it is not often perceptible, most screens flicker at a high rate which can cause <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/reading-paper-screens\/\">visual and sensory fatigue.<\/a> Some e-readers use different light forms than computers in order to reduce eye strain. <br><\/li><li><strong>Less structured. <\/strong>For both school and for pleasure,\u00a0 online time is often run on autopilot. It\u2019s simple to just click the next link and keep scrolling without having to use too much brainpower. Even when going online with the intention to learn, because the internet is also used for pleasure, it\u2019s to get distracted. <br><\/li><li><strong>Drains Mental Resources<\/strong>. Processing the constantly flickering screens and filtering out pop up ads, and other distractions when reading online can easily drain mental resources, making the online reading experience less effective<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">Reading on Paper<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Though it may be old fashioned, research continues to show that when it comes to reading for learning, paper reading has many more benefits than online reading does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Deep Reading.<\/strong> When holding a book, we receive reminders of how many pages we\u2019ve read and how many remain. We can flip pages to reread text as needed The text itself provides a \u201clandscape\u201d as we read that helps the memory centre become more active. <br><\/li><li><strong>Multiple Senses<\/strong>. There is research that shows that information is processed more effectively when multiple senses are used. Touching, seeing, feeling, even smelling the book lead to more sense in use when reading a book. <br><\/li><li><strong>Intentional<\/strong>. It\u2019s easy to be distracted and fall into the habit of mindless scrolling online. This is less likely to happen when reading a book, as the act of opening a book, find the place where you left and choosing to start reading is an intentional choice that can make reading more effective. <br><\/li><li><strong>Increases retention and comprehension.<\/strong> When we read, our brains construct a map of the text, like recalling that a piece of information appeared near the top, left-hand page of a book. This map can boost understanding of the material as well as how long we remember it.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">Read on Paper Every Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s children are digital natives, which means that computers have always been part of their daily lives and screentime part of their education and recreation. To ensure that digital natives have <a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-in-a-digital-age\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deep reading skills,<\/a> it\u2019s important that\u00a0paper reading be part of every students\u2019 daily routine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to studying or reading for school if there is an option to choose between reading online vs. offline, choosing paper reading helps students have a deeper understanding of the subject material.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to reading online vs. offline, what is the better choice for students? Online learning is now a common and accessible way to learn for many students. Teachers can send links to recommended reading materials and finding sources for essays or research projects is simple.\u00a0 But when it comes to reading for learning, [&hellip;] [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1163],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Reading online vs offline: what&#039;s best for learning? - Oxford Learning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every day, students have the choice of reading online vs offline. 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Online reading is convenient, but is it as effective as reading offline?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oxford Learning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OxfordLearning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-03T09:57:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-02T16:03:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1183349245.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kenneth Mendoza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@oxfordlearning\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@oxfordlearning\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kenneth Mendoza\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kenneth Mendoza\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/#\/schema\/person\/254830052bfc199c40ed3991e44d1ada\"},\"headline\":\"Reading online vs offline: what&#8217;s best for learning?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-03T09:57:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-02T16:03:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/\"},\"wordCount\":661,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1183349245.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/\",\"name\":\"Reading online vs offline: what's best for learning? - Oxford Learning\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/oxfordlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1183349245.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-03T09:57:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-02T16:03:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Every day, students have the choice of reading online vs offline. 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