READING IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL NATIVES, KPR Institute Engineering and Technology, Autonomous Engineering Institution, Coimbatore, India

Even millennials acknowledge that whether you read on paper or a digital screen affects your attention on the words and the ideas behind them. To help forward this exploration, the Student Development Program is organized to tackle three intertwined questions about reading in a digital age. First, what do readers tell us directly about their print versus digital reading habits? Second, what else do readers reveal about their attitudes toward reading in print versus on screen, and what can we infer about how well they pay attention when reading in each medium? The third question is more broad-stroked: In the current technological climate, are we changing the very notion of what it means to read? The event started with the introduction of the guest Dr. Neha Soman, AP, IIT Warangal and Welcome address by Dr. Hema. M, Hod - English. The students from various departments (Iyrs) participated. The students were told about the cognitive importance of reading, its purpose, the fruit one can reap after understanding the nuances hidden in reading aspect. The session was taken interactively and the students were engaged respectively. Students provided open-ended comments to the second set of questions, which asked what they liked most and least about reading in print and on screen. In these responses, students praised the physicality of print, but grumbled that it was not easily searchable. They complained that reading on screen gave them eyestrain, but enjoyed its convenience. They also had telling things to say about the cognitive consequences of reading in hardcopy versus on screen. The event was concluded with the Vote of thanks proposed by Dr. Saranya, Assistant Professor, English.