Go Traditional Over Digital - Textbooks Vs E books essay
Go Traditional Over Digital
By Angelica G. Sto. Domingo
According to Kist (2010), Gunther Kress had described that "we are going from a page-based society to a screen-based society" because most of the time, the reading and writing people do today is on a computer screen, and texts they are accessing there include not only print communication but also elements of graphic design, video, sound, visual art, and even advertising (p.2). Many people today, those who are proponents of tablets over textbooks, say that they are supported by most teachers and students because tablets are much lighter than textbooks, can save the environment by lowering the amount of printing, can increase the student 's interactivity and creativity, and that digital textbooks are cheaper than print textbooks. Richardson (2009) even stated that "there are newspapers and magazines, and there were books in the school and public libraries, but all these resources required more time and effort to find and consume than the average student wanted to expend." (p.131). But the opponents of tablets say that they are "expensive, too distracting for students, easy to break, and costly/time-consuming. They contribute to eyestrain, headaches, and blurred vision". They also "increase the excuse available for students not doing their homework". And that it "requires costly Wi-Fi networks, and become quickly outdated as new technologies are released" ("Should Tablets Replace Textbooks in K-12 Schools?", 2014). Coeus (2012) said that these two formats are very similar. They both allow people to do the most important thing, which is to read a book. He also says that the text is the important thing, and not the medium. Although Boris (2012) stated that when comparing the size and weight of several books to the size and weight of a tablet containing the same textbooks loaded onto it, the tablet obviously wins. But once you add in cost and usability in the criteria, the device may not be the best choice
By Angelica G. Sto. Domingo
According to Kist (2010), Gunther Kress had described that "we are going from a page-based society to a screen-based society" because most of the time, the reading and writing people do today is on a computer screen, and texts they are accessing there include not only print communication but also elements of graphic design, video, sound, visual art, and even advertising (p.2). Many people today, those who are proponents of tablets over textbooks, say that they are supported by most teachers and students because tablets are much lighter than textbooks, can save the environment by lowering the amount of printing, can increase the student 's interactivity and creativity, and that digital textbooks are cheaper than print textbooks. Richardson (2009) even stated that "there are newspapers and magazines, and there were books in the school and public libraries, but all these resources required more time and effort to find and consume than the average student wanted to expend." (p.131). But the opponents of tablets say that they are "expensive, too distracting for students, easy to break, and costly/time-consuming. They contribute to eyestrain, headaches, and blurred vision". They also "increase the excuse available for students not doing their homework". And that it "requires costly Wi-Fi networks, and become quickly outdated as new technologies are released" ("Should Tablets Replace Textbooks in K-12 Schools?", 2014). Coeus (2012) said that these two formats are very similar. They both allow people to do the most important thing, which is to read a book. He also says that the text is the important thing, and not the medium. Although Boris (2012) stated that when comparing the size and weight of several books to the size and weight of a tablet containing the same textbooks loaded onto it, the tablet obviously wins. But once you add in cost and usability in the criteria, the device may not be the best choice
References: Boris, C. (2012). 4 pros and cons of e-readers vs. textbooks. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48186058/ns/technology_and_science- back_to_school/t/pros-cons-e-readers-vs-textbooks/ Cancio, C. (2011) Are e-readers making books obsolete?. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/e-readers-making-books- obsolete.htm Coeus (2012). Ebooks vs. paper books: The pros and cons. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from http://coeus.hubpages.com/hub/Ebooks-Versus-Paper-Books-The-Pros-and-Cons Kist, W. (2010). The socially networked classroom: Teaching in the new media age. SAGE Company. Thousand Oaks, California. Mann, L. (2013). Pros and cons of digital textbooks. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-07/features/ct-x-0807-college-kids-eyes- 20130807_1_print-textbooks-digital-textbooks-computer-vision-syndrome McMaken, L. (2012). E-books vs. print books. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0812/e-books-vs.-print-books.aspx N.a. (2014). Should Tablets Replace Textbooks in K-12 Schools?. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from http://tablets-textbooks.procon.org/ Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). SAGE Company. Thousand Oaks, California. Wang, A. (2012). eBook vs. printed book: 5 pros & cons of eBooks. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from http://ebookconverter.blogspot.com/2012/11/ebook-vs-printed-book-5-pros-cons- of.html