Paper or Not

We are at a crossroads in the reading world. Down one path we see our beloved books with their colorful covers, crisp pages, and secure binding. Down the other path we see a sleek machine that lights up with words with the press of just one button. Which path to choose? The old route or the new route?

Many readers are struggling with this very decision. From an environmental standpoint going digital is the preferred path. When more books are distributed digitally, less environmental resources are used to create a tangible book. Paper usage decreases. Electric used to run factories printing and binding the books decreases. But, from an economic standpoint, there are many losers with increased digital book reading. Those running printing and binding factories will lose jobs. Bookstores will close. Librarians will not be in high demand. People who have worked in the book industry for their entire lives will find themselves obsolete.

Also, the education world is vacillating between continuing with paper books or moving on to the digital world. Since most students are used to reading tangible books that is what they prefer. Switching to the digital format is proving to be tough, especially for college students who have been educated for thirteen years using paper books (see article). But, regardless of what format one prefers, choices need to be made.

What type of reading material do you prefer? What are the possible impacts of utilizing more digital reading formats (other than what I already mentioned)? Should we stick to traditional reading methods or move ahead with the technology?

Are Words Important?

First, I would like to take the opportunity to welcome all of my new readers. I hope that you enjoy this foray into online discussions through the blogging medium. It is becoming increasingly more important to learn how to engage with the world through online discussion forums. College professors are beginning to use online discussions to allow students to further engage in the sharing and information gathering process. It is my goal to use this blogging tool to help you begin to develop online discussion skills.

I thought it would be fitting to begin by talking about the importance of words. As a literate, and highly communicative society, we tend to take words and language for granted. But, just think for a minute how life would be without words. How would we communicate? Would life be a constant game of charades? Would we be unable to develop deep ties with our fellow man?

A wonderful show, Radiolab, engaged in similar questioning about the role of words. For this week I would like you to listen to the Radiolab show entitled "Words." You have to option to download it onto a media player (and listen at your leisure) or listen to it on the website. After you listen to the show - in its entirety - please create a blog posting that addresses the following questions as well as your own reflection/analysis of the podcast:
What portion of the show did you find to be most interesting?
How did the information on the show prompt you to reflect upon your own use of language?
What would the world be like without language?
What words could you not live without?

Radiolab - Words

I have vacillated about what to write for my final blog post this semester. Do I leave you with some sage advice about future endeavors? Do I tell you how much I enjoyed the semester (and, I most certainly did)?

What to write?

I suppose first I must express my thanks for being bestowed the honor of educating (or trying to educate) all of you. And, I don't want anyone to be mistaken about this matter - I do consider what I do every day to be an honor. In fact, I don't understand how anyone, ANYONE, can look at my job in any other way. I get to wake up every morning and watch the future citizens of the world grow and evolve. I get to watch one thought, one bit of knowledge, change the course of someone's life. And, better yet, I get to spend day in and day out allowing these very same thoughts and bits of knowledge to change my life. Every day is unique. Thank You.

As for the advice...Well, I am certainly not an expert on life. But, I do know what has worked for me. I know that you have to pay attention to the world. There is so much beauty out there that should never be ignored. Confucius once said that "Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it." Take the time to see it. But don't forget about the ugliness - that is sometimes just as important as the beauty.

Find some sort of balance in your life. Again, I am not an expert on this matter. But, I am farther along than many others. I love my job and work hard at it, but it does not own me. When I leave work, I leave. I realize the importance of eating well and working out so I do both. But, when I want to have a piece of cake, I eat it, and I don't feel bad. These are simple examples of ways that I incorporate balance into my life but what is simple to some is extraordinary to others. Work hard, but play hard too.

And finally, become someone that you can be proud of. Don't go to college to be a lawyer or doctor because you want to make a ton of money. Don't cheat on a test so you can get a high grade. Don't follow the crowd to look better or because it is easier. Become a person that you can live with, or better yet, become the kind of person that you would like to live with.

I could go on but I won't. Instead, I implore you to check out one of my favorite pieces...

I am not one for making New Year Resolutions. I feel that one should constantly try to better him or herself all year round. Goal setting should not be relegated to the beginning of the year.

I have been working on reaching many goals as of late. For example, I have been trying to wean my husband off of eating meat and poultry as much as he does. It is not that I think meat and poultry are all that bad - in fact, in moderation they can be quite good for you - but, I worry about the sustainability of healthy meat options. It is much easier to grow organic vegetables than it is to raise organic livestock.

Another goal that I have been working on is integrating more technology into my classes. Yes, I know, I already use a lot of technology. But, I feel that if I want my subject matter to be relevant to incoming students, I have to present the subject in their language. And, the reality is that technology is the language of the younger generations. So, I have been working on creating valuable ways to incorporate more technology into my curriculum. Using technology simply for the sake of saying I use computers in class is not my concern. I want to use technology to truly improve and enhance my educational practices.

A new goal - and when I say new I mean within the last week - that I have set is to read all of Pat Conroy's works. Although I have been familiar with Conroy's name for quite some time, I have never read one of his pieces until recently. Over break I read My Reading Life and found myself savoring the work, only reading short snippets every day so that I could keep engrossing myself in the words of this most insightful writer. As I read about Conroy's love affair with his favorite writers I found myself beginning a new love affair with Conroy himself. After I finished the piece I actually felt wronged that I had never read any other Conroy works. I plan to right that wrong as soon as possible.

I could continue to go on and on about what I want to accomplish. I have never been the type of person to sit back and watch life pass by without wanting to jump in. I always seem to have something going on, even if I don't consciously make plans to do so...

What do you want to accomplish?