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?
22 comments:
ALLAN NUDELMAN P3
I think the decision between paper or digital books is a tough one. It is a problem that isn't very popular, but eventually it will become everyone's concern. Personally, I prefer reading from a tangible book rather than from a digital source. When I read a book, my attention is completely focused on the information I am reading. I haven't enjoyed the few times that I have heard audio books because I find myself wandering off and not concentrating on the information.
Using more digital formats could cause the failure of the printed book industry, as mentioned in the article, but this could create a whole new industry for digital technology. Most importantly, i believe most people will react the same way I did when I read a digital book. They won't be accustomed to that form of reading and they will probably not soak in the information as easily. This would cause an enormous change in in education, especially in higher levels that are used to tangible books. In my opinion, we should stick to traditional reading because it would avoid major changes in many industries, and readers would not have to change what they're used to
BESHOY ABALLA P.3
i personally like using the books because you don't need the whole computer with you when you want to read. Plus, books you can take every where as well as they don't have as much distractions a computer has, so you are more focused.
With e-books and the improving technology these days such as the (kindles) e-books seem more attractive. as well as, now the books can reach a greater amount of costumers because of the technology these days.which is good for the author and the readers.
i say we should use both because both have there pro's and con's. normal book will be used in the third and second-world countries and we don't want them leave them so far behind and e-books connect us with the technical world like china/ japan and others.
Coming from my point of view, I have always had a love and passion for reading. I really love digging my nose into the book and devouring it in one sitting, however, I see the challenges and oppositions from electronic readers. Recently I purchased one of these electronic readers and I've found it to be very helpful.The e-reader actually keeps all your purchased books and so you'll never have the problem of lost or damaged books, which is a huge statement considering I'm always losing things! I actually prefer the e-readers to normal books, I'm also taking in the account of the size of the e-reader, for example, one of the Harry Potter books,they're greatbooks but they are huge! Not everyone wants to carry around a book that big, the e-reader stores all that text in a much smaller compartment so you dont have to carry your books back and forth.
Since our world is developing at an extremly fast rate, we must keep up with it. In my opinion we should go ahead with electronic reading and develop even more on it and who knows maybe one day we'll be questioning if we should still use electronic reading instead of something more advanced and technological?
Laura Ballesteros
Period 3
I have always been a huge book lover, but reading from a computer doesn't quite appeal to me. I well know that by making actual books we are chopping down trees and damaging our planet, but we are doing that while driving too so it doesn't really matter.
The point is, that we should stick to traditional reading methods instead of digitalizing them. Although just clicking a button and being able to read that easily, might appeal to many people, going to a book store and buying an actual book is still more exciting and good for you.
Many jobs would be lost if all text was digitalized and many factories would go out of business, but new jobs could be made up instead. Maybe ones that would not require as much of effort or working hours.
I love to sit in front of the computer and just search stuff. I do it everyday and I enjoy it, to a point. I tend to get migraines if I stare at a bright, colourful screen for hours and even the thought of having to read from the computer makes my stomach turn. Digitalized books would make us have to sit in front of screens, and like in my case, this could be bad.
Digitalized books do have their good sides too, because they are more preservable and the exact same book could be passed down generations to generations without being altered by new writers.
Viivi Kujala P.3
I personally prefer using the digital books just because I always like to try something new and I really like working with technology.
There are also some majors impacts that can come out of switching to digital books. First if we switch to digital books it will create a lot of jobs in the technology industry, sure we would loose jobs in the book printing industry but I think we will receive much more jobs than we loose. Secondly I believe it would really help out our educational system.
I personally believe we should switch to digital books because look at history every country that was the most technologically advanced succeeded. Also switching to digital books has a lot of beneficial gains to our country and our educational system. For example lets say every school gave their students a kindle, with one kindle you can have your math, English, and science book on a device that is the size of a piece of paper.All the student would have to do is buy the book on the kindle store with their own money for around ten dollars and then they have all the books they need. No more carrying books around or having students pay 100$ because they lost their pre cal book, every bit of information they need is right on their kindle which they can access from school and home. I think if we switch to the new digital books our educational system would really improve and with a smarter population our country has a better possibility of succeeding.
From my perspective, digital books are both more convenient and cheaper than paper books. As a student who will one day have to pay hefty prices for text books in college, I think it makes more sense to switch to the digital format than to continue with traditional tangible books. Tangible books are a hassle to carry around and are often expensive. In addition, when using the digital format, you can have all of the books you own in one place and access any them from the click of a button.
Humankind is quickly advancing in technology, and we shouldn't be left in the dust. We need to progress in technology to be able to effectively stay along with society. Switching to the digital format will only be an investment in yourself.
Melissa Magalhães Period 3
I personally prefer using the digital books just because I always like to try something new and I really like working with technology.
There are also some majors impacts that can come out of switching to digital books. Firstly, if we switch to digital books it will create a lot of jobs in the technology industry; sure we would loose jobs in the book printing industry but I think we will create many more jobs than we loose. Secondly, I believe it would really help out our educational system.
I personally believe we should switch to digital books because if we look at history, every country that was the most technologically advanced for its time succeeded. Also, switching to digital books has a lot of beneficial gains to our country and our educational system from an easy access perspective. For example, let's say every school gave their students a Kindle. With one kindle you can have your Math, English, and Science books on a device that is the size of a spiral notebook. All the student would have to do is buy the book on the Kindle store with their own money, one time, for a reasonable price and then they would have all the resources they need. No more carrying books around or having students pay hundreds of dollars because they lost their pre-calculus book. Every bit of information which they need is right on their Kindle which they could access from school or home. I think if we switch to the new digital books our educational system would really improve and with a smarter population our country has a better possibility of succeeding.
James Sidebottom P3
I perfer reading from a paper book because even though it uses more trees, I find it easier to read. For example, when I read from a paper book, and it feels more personal. Reading from a digital book defeats the whole purpose of a book, and "turning the pages." By using digital books, no-one will ever need to go to the library. Instead people will just press a button and "voila!" theres your book.
Yet, I think that libraries should be around forever, many people enjoy being able to have the luxury to simply go to the library and just relaax and read. Digital books also makes people more lazy.
Regardless of what people think, i believe that more digital books will be used because technology will never stop developing and upgrading. If u ask me though, I think paper books are better.
Juan Garcia P.3
My favorite type of reading material is magazines. To me, magazines are more interesting than books because the articles are more interesting and pictures just make magazines more appealing. Magazines are more informative than books because in less pages they can have so much more information. The digital books are more expensive than any magazine so I would prefer carrying around a magazine than those digital devices. Magazines with a plethora of pictures really affects the way I look at it because, to me, a picture paints a thousand words.
Digital reading formats can have either a positive impact or a negative impact. It can affect in a positive way because digital reading formats usuallty contain more than one novel so people would be able to read a variety of book in just one thing. Some digital devices could also have negative impacts. Books are still important and it is important that people keep reading books because some books might not be in the digitl devices. I think we should move ahead because books are obsolecent and technology is improving more and more. Having access to millions of books in one samll device could be really helpful.
Technology in this society is continuously progressing. Paper and digital books are both very useful but personally, I prefer digital. While reading a paper book, If i don't understand something, I will most likely skip over it and move on. However, with a digital book, such as one on the computer or on a Kindle, I will have internet use right with me and could easily help my better understanding of the material.
I think other digital reading formats, such as audiobooks are not very useful. with audiobooks, you can only hear the sound. I know for a fact that I cannot listen to those because I would never be able to keep up and stay focused. If one day we will be learning from audiobooks, a lot of kids would be lost and have a high lack of understanding.
Traditional reading methods are probably the best way of learning because you paint the picture in your head easier and are more focused, but I think we should keep up with technology and read things online or on digital books. They are compact and handy.
With this debate, I think its the reader's preference to either electric books are classic paper books. I enjoy flipping the paper and feeling its soft texture. I find it symbolizes the true meaning of reading literature. If I were to read a novel digitally, my mind would probably daze into another universe.
If digital books were to overrule regular books, the industry of publishing would tumble into ashes. Writers won't even need have to come in contact with the publisher, which will allow the author to anti-social if they wished to be. Fans wouldn't get the chance to have their favorite author sign the novel. They can't autograph the computer that is your major source of reading.
I think education will be the most effected if we were to totally switch to digital material. Kids won't experience the whole textbook experience that we are going through. What if a child can't afford the digital version of books? Will their education be put on hold because they can't supply themselves with the technology? This is why we need to stick with paper books. It helps both the publishing industry and our education. PAPER BOOKS ALL THE WAY!
Caitlyn Tate
It is easy to see the argument between the new digital world of books and our traditional world of paper books. There is no doubt in my mind that as the prices drop on gadgets such as the kindle and the nook, the general public will become more accepting of the technology and eventually embrace it completely. It has practically become our human nature to move on in the path that technology carves for us.
Moving on to the digital world would eliminate a numerous amount of jobs but it could also create some, simply of another kind. Publishing would become more affordable, and more writers would be able to have a to have a chance to publish their work once the publishing cost has gone done. Also, competition would arise between these e-readers. Better products would be produced and marketing campaigns will expand all over the world. All of these action would result in more jobs.
Although I love the feeling of holding a book in my hands and hearing the sounds of my paper as I flip the pages, I will probably be one to move into this electronic revolution of e-books. Perhaps, I won't even miss having books. Having everything in one space and being able to buy books at the tips of my fingers sounds fascinating. To add, some gadgets use e-ink which basically imitates the look of a paper page and makes it easy on the eyes. People won't be able to resist theses handy novelties. We will certainly move along with technology once more.
NATALIA RUEDA P.3
As we live our lives day by day we all have different methods and different ways of doing things. What we don't notice is that some things that we do are going to begin causing problems and conflicts between many people and their jobs.
In my opinion, digital sources are going to begin interfering with people's everyday lives. Employees working in libraries and book stores are going to start losing their jobs because people are going to start depending on digial sources and are going to become less interested in tangible books. I think that people are going to lean more towards the digital sources just because it's related technology. I highly doubt that people that really love to read are going to want to focus on technology. They will just want to choose a book and read it and go on to a next one. I honestly think that it's pointless to have digital sources because it's a waste of technology and it's just another obstacle that will interfere in people's lives.
I personally like to have the book right in front on my eyes. With the book right in front of me, I am able to highlight and write my own notes on the side of the story so I can better understand the piece of writing. The possible impacts of utilizing more digital reading formats is that it will cost more money. People will have to pay for their device to view to story, or pay for internet. By staying with the more traditional stories, it is more fortunate for people in many ways. Even though some people like the computer because they can access other websites to help them with the story, but it will distract them and cause them to lose their train of thought.
However, since the world is advancing at a super high-speed rate, I think we should use computers to further educate students. Our technology needs to stay up to par with other countries that are trying to surpass us.
I believe that this is an issue that will pop up in the near future. With companies like Apple and Amazon leading the digital frontier, more people are switching from paper to plastic so to speak. Honestly, I am an offender in my own right. Recently, I bought an Amazon Kindle and it is great, I love being able to have multiple books in one place and not hauling around the more hefty books in my backpack. Although I see how it will cause a ripple that will negatively effect places and people I will never hear or speak to, I can't help but go with the convenience of the digital books.
On the subject of replacing school books I believe that it is not to be. Digital books may be great for the casual reader, but when it comes to school, there is nothing better than cracking open the old textbook. Textbooks are honestly an asset to the school system, they allow us the be more interactive in school giving us beautiful art, statistics, and information that we could not get from digital books at this moment.
While the school system attempts to enter the digital age, not all is lost yet. We still have our beloved textbooks for now, but as the technology expands we may just find ourselves down the river without a paddle.
I feel that their needs to be a certain balance between the two. Digital book machines such as the Kindle and the Nook have many benefits such as portability and the option to switch off books and purchasing them within seconds. I know though that some people are old fashioned and will not make the change over to the more technological approach but in generations to come, i feel like a complete change will be made to digital text.
However, books provide a certain feeling to some people that can not be replaced by a machine of any sort. I personally am open to the use of technology for reading but i understand why certain people would not be. I know that it may not be great for the economy in the present, but everything must change at one point, and the world is adapting and people are coming up with new ways to do things everyday. The use of machines for reading is a great idea, that should be balanced with reading paper books, and should be embraced and welcomed because it is our future.
cory leschel p3
Personally I would prefer to learn using digital books. The conventional way of learnig of course though is through reading straight out a book. I feel though that the way things are going so far with in the next 20 years books will be obsolete. There are actually many positive impacts of a new age of electronic books. For one it will make learning on the go or in transit easier. Its better to carry one kindle with all your favorite books on it, then to have to lug them around with you. Electronic books will also create a new industry of electronic learning; we already even have courses which may be taken online. Should we stick to traditional reading methods or move ahead with the technology? I believe we should move ahead with technology. I honestly think that future generations will learn more and be better educated with the use of technology. Just imagine a student in college study to be a doctor and having his notes, lectures and books all in one handy device. The need for paper books will have ended.
With all the new technology being created now a days I would prefer to use digital books instead of paper books because its easier to keep all kinds of different books in one device where they can't get lost or damaged. Also it's easier to carry one small, skinny device than a huge book with millions of pages.
Using more digital reading formats will impact a lot of people. What if we only used digital books, what will happen to those who aren't able to get a kindle, or an e-book. Also many people will lose their jobs, many publishing companies wouldn't need that many people anymore because of the technology we have now.
We should stick with both, it wouldn't hurt to have the right to both, the digital and paper books, because the paper book you can always use at home and the digital book you can take anywhere without taking too much space in your purse or bothering you in any way that a traditional reading book would.
ALEX HEBERT P3
In a world were technology is on the rise it may be difficult to choose between computer and paper. Young students are adabting quickly to new methods of studying, note taking, reading, learning and other means of communication as new generations are being born we are slowly descending away from our ancient learning habits. Being a student now, I know that I couldn't live without the old fashioned paper and pencil that I have grown up with. It is what we have been tought to learn with our whole lives and I think that is why it is so hard to move away from, but I have come to the realization that we are in fact going to be leaving our old school habits much more soon than we realize. There is evidence of this new uprising all around us. A good example of this is the blog itself. Teachers and students are becoming much more dependent of online resources and technology because it can be a fuel sources for education and whether we like it or not technology will consume us as we advance as a nation and as a world. Innovations are being made to everything we do, adapting to our new technological world. So I highly doupt that books will remain the same although I love a good "ol-fashion" binded book Ipads, Kindles and other ebooks will become primary in my opinion because it is what captures kids attention and imagination and it is how they will grow up learning in society. This is why I think that we should try to accept the fact and adapt.
The decision between "paper or not" to me all really depends on what I'll be using the book for. For books having to do with education I prefer paper 100% of the time. I could not picture myself studying for Chemistry with a computer screen, or with one of those e-readers such as the Nook or the Kindle. I almost feel like it's not serious enough. I would become so easily distracted. I already am easily distracted with textbooks, it becomes exponentially worse if I have to read in a computer's window. Now for personal use, I will always, always, always prefer e-readers. Yes, going to the bookstore is always fun. You have fun looking and exploring through books that might interest you. You buy coffee and snack at the miniature version of Starbucks that almost every bookstore now seems to have. But I don't think it's fun having books weigh down your backpack, suitcase, etc. And once you're done reading them, what are you supposed to do with that bulky novel? It starts taking up way too much space. You can carry your nook anywhere and never worry about it weighing you down. Also, on a completely random note, the Nook color has a gorgeous design and screen. These digital reading formats could make reading a big thing. Many youth and adults nowadays don't find reading too attractive. They'd rather lay comfortably in front of their gorgeous displays watching television. But anything to do with technology interests most people nowadays. It could reintroduce reading to a whole new audience. Maybe more people would become literate. Not only that, but just think of how much resources would be saved if we utilized digital reading formats. Sure, many people will lose their jobs, but with the rapidly increasing growth of technology we have today there will be plenty of jobs made that they can take. I think we should definitely move ahead with the technology. It might seems difficult now to make the transition to e-reading but I think that's just because since it's not too popular yet, their designs haven't been given enough attention. As we advance more and more with technology and we start utilizing more interactive technology in these e-readers, making the transition from physical to virtual will be almost unnoticeable.
Nicole Ramlal
I prefer to read f rom textbooks because they are more comfortable to use and they arent that foreign to me. I also prefer to use them because i can highlight important facts or keywords that i need to study for or that i have problems with. Utilizing digital reading formats can be a good thing and a bad thing. It can be good because it is quick and convenient and doesnt weigh a lot. It can be bad because something wrong can happen and it isint dependable. I think we should stick with traditional formats because it was used many years ago and will still be used many years from now.
The type of reading material I prefer is paper becauser I like annotation and I would rather highlight teh actual page then try to memorize and entire novel. While paper isn't environmentally friendly it is a easier way to learn because if it is digitized there are alot more distractions.
People would become more lazy because they wouldn't go out of there way to research things that they are interested in for example if I wanted to know about why hippopotamuses stay in wa ter I would just look it up on my kindle rather than go to the local library and grap books on hippopotumus. Digital is environmentally friendally because you dont waste as much paper because the demand for novels is reduced drastically.
Even though I prefer reading from a novel that I can hold, I know that in the upcoming years more and more people are going to start reading digitally because people like change and people are starting to accept technology in their everyday lives more and more
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