Carr identifies how reading a book is different from reading online because when you read online, you don’t think deeply about what it is you’re reading, and you don’t have to concentrate nearly as much. Carr also mentions that the Internet is something people find themselves going to more often than books because it is more time efficient.
Many schools have switched from using paper textbooks to iPads or chromebooks, which allow students to access online textbooks. But is this a good change? There are many factors that need to be put into consideration, including the age group of a kids receiving the technology, the classes this tool can be used for, and the children’s ability to interact with others.
Imagine a day when youngsters would leave for school carrying nothing more than an electronic device weighing less than one pound. The advent and growing popularity of electronic textbooks may make this a reality sooner rather than later. No more students trudging around with 20 pound backpacks strapped to their backs. No more lockers jammed with textbooks and notebooks. The benefits of transitioning to e-textbooks are many and provide advantages for both students and educators.
Marc Presnky argues that college should ban the use of physical books to encourage the use of electronic books. He gives three reasons to support his argument. The author of the article “College Should Mandate That All Textbooks Be Digitized” states three main advantages of having a bookless higher education. He believes that society should move beyond “physical books of the past” in order to move “education into the future” (Presnky). By employing the use of digitized books, Presnky believes that people will have features not quickly available to physical books such as comments or analysis about a book. Lastly, Presnky believes the biggest advantage of fully transitioning to e-books is the liberation of ideas from printed pages. He thinks
With the rampant year over year releases and innovations in the consumer sector, computers and tablets are cheaper than ever. While one may argue that devices still remain more expensive than a simple notepad and pencil, students opting not to use a computer will accrue incrementally more costs for notebooks and/or paper, binders, the printing of class notes, and hard copy textbooks for each course. With PDF and online textbooks now available, at substantially lower costs, tech savvy students have additional cost and use advantages. Further, digital resources permit publishers to regularly update e-textbook forms. This is relevant for schools that utilize one text for multiple years and better ensures accuracy and currency. Beyond the economic benefits, computers have other practical advantages. They significantly reduce the amount of weight students carry in knapsacks, improve ergonomics, and ameliorate possible future absenteeism and medical costs due to back injury. Finally, reduced paper consumption and its footprint are more environmentally friendly and consistent with the University of Toronto’s sustainability
However, when given an article to read off of a computer screen, 21% of people read the text roow by row and word by word, and 79% of scanned the page. Of those 79%, only 3% could name specific facts written in the online article. However, of the 21% that thoroughly read the article, 19% could name those specific facts - and all test subjects were given the same series of questions following their reading. This suggests that the style of reading is different when the medium of the reading is
Both screens and paper text are valuable sources of information used in today’s literature. Yet the question continues to arise as to whether or not developing a bi-literate brain is key to our development. We should be worried about the time divided between the two because certain information is interpreted in a ways that may not always be reliable. They are both beneficial, but to fully comprehend and master reading material, I believe the paper text is a lot more valuable when it comes to understanding the topic. In the present day, with the expansion of new technology and the ever-growing technology industry, more people to spend time in front of a screen compared to paper text. With this new addition to their lives everyone should build a bi-literate
According to an article by Ferris Jabr in Scientific American, studies show that most people learn better when they read long texts on paper. This is in part because the brain works differently when the person actually thumbs through paper. Seeing where a book begins and ends helps human brains record and organize the information. Jabr writes, “Turning the pages of a paper book is like leaving one footprint after another on the trail—there’s a rhythm to it and a visible record of how far one has traveled.” Researcher Erik Wastlund has found that digital reading takes more mental energy, making brains tire more easily. A tired brain has a harder time understanding what it is reading. Thus, it is perhaps not surprising that other studies have shown that when people read short texts, they learn equally well reading on a screen or on paper.
Within the last five years, the school I attend purchased iPads for student use. One way we use them is to download textbooks. This is a wonderful system for many reasons. Physical textbooks should be replaced entirely by electronic versions on portable devices. Education is a very important part of every person's life. We begin learning just moments after we are born, and we do not stop learning until we die. Without knowledge, humans would not be humans, and our way of life would never
Reading a paper copy rather than an electronic copy will help you stay focused on the text. Researchers have found that people tend to “adopt new habits while interfacing with digital devices” (Niccoli). These habits consist of skimming through the text in an “F” form—reading the top line and looking for keywords rather than
Teachers are always assigning homework in the textbook and of course every student complains. Not only because they have homework, but because they have to lug home multiple textbooks. Many school districts have been trying to find a way to solve this complaint. What school board officials have come up with is replacing the textbooks with notebook computers or tablets. It is the 21st century, there is technology booming everywhere. However, converting the notebook computers might not be the greatest decision.
And books are a tactile experience, meaning they are supposed to be experienced through touch and smell (especially for the old books). A book is meant to be an experience that can have depressions and elevations on the cover and text, feeling the weight of the pages as you turn them and all of these elements when combined make a book what it is, but when you read an e-book you are exposed to digitized text and a screen. And it’s been proven that when people are exposed to screens of TVs or computers they are less likely to have a good night sleep. On a web poll about e-books vs. books one person commented, ‘I've tried reading a few e-books but I've always given up. I just don't like looking at digitized text when I'm reading a novel. I like the feel, the weight and even the smell of books,’ many of the following comments made by others agreed with this persons thoughts.
Electronic textbooks are more portable and convenient as they can be accessed by a tablet, downloaded onto a computer or accessed via the internet. The technological benefits available on an electronic textbook are endless. The audio and video capabilities will liven up learning and change the way students understand and retain the material. The emergence of three-dimensional technology may also play a role in the near future. In addition, digital textbooks are much more user friendly. Studying for tests will be more efficient as highlighted notes can be easily transferred into electronic note cards for memorization. The main downside to electronic textbooks is that students will have to purchase a reading device, tablet, laptop or smartphone in order to view digital textbooks away from home or on the go. Most college students have already made this investment prior to starting college.
To start off, schools need to realize the amount they can save in the long run by utilizing technology and lean away from traditional, old fashioned, hard cover books. When books become outdated and used, schools have to spend endless amounts to replace them. To avoid this, schools can take the initiate and work proactively and replace hard cover books with electronics to avoid unnecessary expenses. An example of this occurred at Empire High School which recently made a switch from textbooks even though, “it wasn’t because of a funding crisis.” (Source A) Empire High School shows just how well technology can work. Not only does technology help in saving necessary funding, it adds a sure convenience factor to the students and teachers by not having to drag around large and expensive textbooks.
During the development of technology, most people have shifted to use electronic books to read both academic and non-academic texts. However, despite the technological changes, there has been a wide debate about the benefits of paper books over the e-books. It is important to understand that various reasons are suggesting why people should shift back to using the traditional books rather than the electronic ones. Even though some think that e-books are better that traditional ones, I believe that readers should return to traditional books because of various reasons.