The article talks about the difference between knowing something and understanding it.  To understand something, the reader must go beyond ‘the four corners of the text’ as outlined in Ellen Carillo’s article.  By placing admiration on only the text itself and failing to consider the reader and their place within the text students are failing to truly understand it. Without understanding why something was written it defeats the purpose of the context. Ellen Carillo is right if we don’t understand why something was written students will not going to care why they are reading it.

Over the years my education has influenced my ability to take a more effective approach to reading and understanding texts.  Throughout my school years I was asked to read lots of context for upcoming projects or assignments . This was extremely helpful because the background knowledge I gained from these readings and  writings allowed me to understand the significance and the importance of them. Many times I asked myself why are we reading these long texts and what am I going to do by reading these long texts. As time passed by when education became a big part of my life it helped me to understand why we read or write. By reading the contexts we get to expand our knowledge on the topic and understand the point of view of the author and why it was written.

​In the article the idea of Google-knowledge vs. understanding is discussed.  The study  showed us that  reading makes us better at google knowledge. Understanding is a creative act where as Google-knowing is similar to reading a textbook. Understanding gives meaning to a text by involving the reader and it’s very important. As stated in the article the ability to understand something also helps us understand ourselves. The author is right in today’s digital age it is easy to gather information with the click of a mouse. The volume of information at our fingertips has led the students failing to take a critical look at the information that was given. We often lack on the understanding because we also lack on the context.

In order to move forward the article suggests students should no longer be provided with online resources that have been previously assessed to complete school tasks. I agree with this approach as students need to be trained to have a critical thinking when reviewing information online. With educators doing the preparation and assessing  online resources the student fails to learn the necessary  skills to do it themselves.  In my experience I have had the opportunity to do both  in school. In certain assignments I was not provided with the resources in advance and had to find them myself. I found it challenging at first but eventually I was able to quickly fact-check and distinguish  informative articles from fake news and advertisements. This skill has continued to help me when researching any topic online.

​The article also talks about the idea of integrating free writing and journaling into the writing process. I believe this to be an effective way for students to learn the skills of revisioning, critical thinking, and creativity which are all important components to understanding something.  In school I found journaling and free writing to be a difficult writing task that ultimately improved my writing abilities and helped me better understand my own experiences and how that affects my understanding of text.  This assignment itself is a great example of that  by reflecting on my own experiences with reading and writing I have a deeper understanding of the article itself. And also this particular article itself states the significance  of  understanding something instead of just knowing it.