This is the third post in a series of posts, I am planning to be writing alongside my life. The Title: My Life as a Reader. You can read the previous two posts here: My (and Mother’s) Life as a Reader (2010) and My Life as a Reader- 6 Years Later (2016).

Here is the explanation of the challenge, I wrote back then:

I participated in a Blogging Challenge in 2010. We were supposed to write a post about our Life As a Reader. The challenge consists in simply making a bullet list about your connections, reflections and thoughts as a reader. It is an exercise of putting pen to paper (finger to keyboard) and not lifting your hands for 5/10/15 minutes or until you emptied your mind completely and can’t think of anything else. This exercise was very valuable, reflective and fun. Since six years have passed and I thought it might be time for an update. The world around us has changed tremendously. How has this change affected my reading habits? I recorded 62 bullets about my life as a reader in 2010, please see part II from #63-100 (six years later) below.  I wonder about the reading habits my grandchildren will have when they are grandparents? I would love to start documentation of their lives as readers. How about you? Will you accept the challenge to share YOUR Life As a Reader?

So, 10 years after my initial post, 4 years after the second post, I will put keypad to screen again, and add any new thoughts around my life as a reader.

101. In 2018, I became an author of a published book, A Guide to Document Learning, crossing over from creating digital reading material to printed reading in order to reach the particular audience of traditional readers.
102. I enjoy reading my readers’ thoughts and feedback to A Guide to Documenting Learning via the #documenting4learning hashtag.
103. My reading habits are continuing to evolve and have been influenced by writing the book. I have noticed that I prefer reading the paper version of the book, but when highlighting and later being able to access these passages, the digital book version was invaluable.
104. I am fascinated in following the evolution of the influence of information, media and news literacy and its impact on reading.
105. Terms, such as fake news, deep and shallow fakes, alternative facts, and post-truth world are directly related to our ability to read, comprehend and interpret text and different media.
106. I am worried by the lack of education in information, media and news literacy of citizens of all ages and the consequences that represents for our lives (political, economical, environmental, educational, and… and … and…). This is directly connected to our ability to READ information, media and news. I am afraid that many “educated” adults are becoming illiterate, if we update our notion of literacy to include reading and writing in new digital forms.
107. I practice what I preach regarding hyperlinked, hashtagged, and lateral reading (new blog post coming soon). I research, experiment and reflect on these different reading styles and habits.
108. My reading is changing more and more, since I am evolving as an information curator. As I am reading, I am aware and conscious of the potential benefit FOR the learning of others. That changes HOW I read and what I choose to do with what I have read.
109. Digital reading is an interrupted and at the same time a fluent and continuous activity. Lateral reading requires opening new tabs, jumping from one “text” (text, image, video, audio) to another. Traditionally that would be considered interrupted (not continuing or finishing the traditional vertical reading text). When we amplify what “reading” means, we ARE continuing to read (just not in traditional order, not just from top to bottom, just not from first page to last page, etc.)
110. I participated in my first Instagram Book Study in 2018: The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros.
111. I currently read mostly professional development books in education
112. I currently read mostly in English (need to be more strategic in reading Spanish & English).
113. Reading texts via WhatsApp groups in Spanish (WhatsApp is more popular outside of the USA).
114. Non-linear and transmedia reading (following hashtags, hyperlinks, jumping from text to videos to “reading” images) is becoming my norm.
115. Lateral reading versus vertical reading is becoming my norm.
116. I am becoming aware that I am preferring smaller chunks of information as I am reading. I have not read “one piece of reading” (ex. an entire book) during hours and hours (like I remember doing years ago). Is my attention span shrinking or simply do I have less time or is it the genre of reading that is dominating my reading choices at the moment?
117. I learned a lot about hashtagged reading, as I prepared for the #21kBuenosAires
118. I wonder a lot, not only about analog and digital reading differences, but also about differences in reading on different digital platforms (ex. Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, blogs, etc.)]
119. I am reading more in German about education do to the activity on hashtags, such as #TwitterLehrerZimmer and #ZeitgemaesseBildung
120. I do most of my reading on my iPhone.
121. Currently. I read more digitally (news, correspondence (via email/texts), books (leisure reading, professional reading), than I read on paper.
122. It takes me only a few seconds between reading about a book recommendation or a mention of a book in a blog article to jump over to download a sample of the book to check it out further and decide if I will purchase the full copy. The sample copies of the ebooks on my Kindle app are a way I organize and create a list of potential books on my wishlist.
123. I mostly have 4-5 books on my Kindle open to read at the same time
124. I have sketchnoted my thoughts after reading each chapter of Heidi Hayes Jacobs’ book “Active Literacy Across the Curriculum”. My sketchnotes were added to each chapter when the second edition of the book was published in 2018.
125. I order all my books online, no particular reason… convenience maybe… easy and fast access. I used to go to books stores and spent a lot of time browsing, now I browse online and read reviews and recommendations.
126. I rarely listen to audio books.
127. I started to read books about Fitness and Running in 2019 as a way to complement my running with a coach and other people.
128. I am learning a lot about being a runner, techniques, recommendations and getting support by reading other runners’ social media posts on Instagram and Pinterest.
129. I love to get the printed version of travel guides of places I am planning to travel to. I enjoy looking at my collection of travel guides in retrospect.
130. Although I read to my three daughters equally, modeled good reading habits, had a houseful of books available to them, always giving them opportunities to choose their own readings, only one out of the three became an avid reader as an adult.
131. My 3 year old grandson’s favorite book is “The Monster at the End of the Book”, which I read to him on my iPad.
132. I am sad, that I can’t read in German to my grandchildren. It does not allow me to share/ transfer some of my fondest childhood memories.

In the spirit of capturing and documenting changes across time, I have also interviewed my 7-year old granddaughter, Elena. She is an avid reader and I wanted to start documenting her reading thoughts and habits. The idea is to periodically repeat the interview.

My Granddaughter’s Life as a Reader

1. The first book I can remember reading is The Itsy Bitsy Spider
2. My favorite genre is non-fiction.
3. My favorite book that I read as a 7 year old is Wonder by R.J. Palacio
4. I am reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
5. I like to read by myself
6. I don’t need pictures or illustrations in a book. I like to imagine what it is like by myself.
7. I like to read when my mommy is reading next to me her own book.
8. I like to go to the bookstore or the library.
9. I like to read in my head instead of out loud.
10. I like to have bookmarks to know where I stop reading. I like the bookmarks that have a tinsel hanging at the end.
11. I like to write my own stories so others can read it.
12. I rather have paper books, but I really don’t have any other books I could read on the iPad. I will get a Kindle for my birthday.
13. I read subtitles on the TV and it sometimes helps me know the words better. For example, when I listen to a song on TV and I did not “hear” the right word, the subtitle tells me.
14. I like to read on the couch when it is raining outside.
15. We have a “Flashlight Friday”at school, when we get to read in the dark with a flashlight. We have to finish our work before we get to find a spot to sit down and read. I don’t finish in time to be able to get the spot that I want. That is why I don’t like to read in my school classroom.
16. I read books, that have a character named Elena.
17. My brother likes it when I read “The Monster at the End of this Book” to him.
18. I like to read text messages from my family and friends.
19. I only read in English
20. When I play Spyro, the video game, I read the subtitles to get tips and help.