Every schoolkid since the late 1950s probably remembers a self-study reader program just like this, from SRA. All that's really different in the digital age is the feedback loop.

FORBES: Instant feedback in the classroom

So in other words, in layman's terms, instead of going to your favorite 15 websites that you always visit everyday, you can have those favorite 15 websites send you the updates of their sites to your reader program on your computer.

NPR: Tips for Easing Internet Information Overload

Now, what this allows you to do, a reader is really a program that allows you to aggregate information that's out on the Internet.

NPR: Tips for Easing Internet Information Overload