Suggested Reading:
Effects of eBook Readers and Tablet Computers on Reading Comprehension
The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens
When reading on screens, people seem less inclined to engage in what psychologists call metacognitive learning regulation—strategies such as setting specific goals, rereading difficult sections and checking how much one has understood along the way. . . . Perhaps, then, any discrepancies in reading comprehension between paper and screens will shrink as people's attitudes continue to change.
Can Students ‘Go Deep’ With Digital Reading?
. . . the ability to take notes easily appears to be a big reason for choosing print textbooks over digital. In a Hewlett Packard online survey of 527 college students at San Jose State University, 57 percent of students who responded said they preferred print materials to e-books when studying. When citing reasons for their preference, 35 percent of print users cited “note-taking ability” as a reason for preferring print vs. six percent of those who favored e-books.
Maybe new note-taking skills require nothing more than a shift in perspective. . . . giving students the “ability to talk to the text, to create an internal dialogue with the text,” is the best way to help students understand what they’re reading.
Pew Research Center: The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught in Schools
Educause Review: Paper or Tablet? Reading Recall and Comprehension
Schugar, J. j., Schugar, H., & Penny, C. (2011). A Nook or a Book? Comparing College Students' Reading Comprehension Levels, Critical Reading, and Study Skills. International Journal Of Technology In Teaching & Learning, 7(2), 174-192.
Any Google Doc and any OCR'ed PDF that is stored on the web (read Google Drive) may be read aloud for free with the following two Google Chrome extensions:
Both extensions work in tandem to read Google Docs and PDFs aloud. The video below provides a brief introduction.