Paper is starting to become obsolete in the world of
reading. Students are encouraged to purchase books online, as well as read all of
the material for class online. Kindles, iPads, etc. make it more accessible to
read a couple of pages of your favorite book on the go. Surveys have been made
that show people tend to remember more a certain part of a text when it is read
in a physical layout of the book rather than the page of the pdf file.
Having
the actual book makes it easier for the reader to go back and forth from the
pages as well as taking notes on the side, or even highlighting details. Some
studies were made that compared whether the medium of the book affected
comprehension, and the results revealed the half of the class that had the
physical book did better than the other half that hade an e-reader. In my
opinion I prefer to read things that I can touch. I have a harder time focusing
on things that I have to read on pdf files or on my iPad; it makes it harder to
keep track of pages I find important. Paper books make the reading experience
more meaningful. Most of the article is based on surveys performed on adults,
but what about the younger generation? Kids are growing up with iPads and know
how to manipulate them. It would be interesting to see a survey performed on
kids and see what results it would turn out.
Here's the link to the article: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=reading-paper-screens&page=2
- Anna de la Garza
Jabr, F. (2013, April 11). The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens.
Retrieved from:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=reading-paper-screens&page=2
I completely agree. For some reason, written text is more meaningful than text from a PDF. I think that because traditionally, textbooks and important literature have been made in the forms of books, I focus more when reading paper books. Because I’m accustomed to skimming articles on the web or skimming webpages for specific information, when I read PDF files on my laptop or iPad, I skim as well. You brought up another good point. I also wonder about the effect on modern children. Can they read as well in both, paper and screens? Do the children of today perform better with e-readers since they’ve had more access than we did?
ReplyDeleteResearch shows that e-book readers are less likely to finish books than those who read regular books. Blame the Facebook or Netflix applications found in most e-readers/tablets or the fact (as the article cited below argues) that e-readers are meant to serve a different purpose. The article in the Wall Street Journal provides research conducted by the Pew Research Center, which finds that "90% of e-book readers continue to read physical volumes" (Carr 2013: pg 1). This evidence illustrates the continued demand for paper books. Even those who have made the transition to tablets and e-readers cannot fully abandon all forms of paper text. The author makes a compelling argument that "we have misjudged the nature of the electronic book" and that "the two forms seem to serve different purposes" (Carr 2013: pg1). E-readers/tablets serve more for the purpose of "disposable paperback fiction", books that one would find in an airport. These form of "light entertainment" Carr states are more disposable meanwhile literary fiction or narrative nonfiction continue to be sold in regular book format -- books we can buy off the shelf (Carr 2013: pg 1). The reason for it was stated in Ferris Jabr’s article. In the study conducted in the University of Stavanger in Norway, “paper books and documents may be better suited to absorption in a text” (Jabr 2013: pg 1). Light entertainment does not demand as much of our focus as works of literature.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jabr of the Scientific American in that tablets and e-readers should stop trying to replace paper books. With the Kindle and Nook trying to replicate the same experience as reading a paper book, their attempts have fallen short. These e-readers/tablets should stick to their strengths, which are colorful screens and a unique user interface through their touch screens. I personally subscribe to the New York Times, Newsweek, and The New Yorker (all forms of "light entertainment") on my iPad and find the experience much more enjoyable -- especially with visual media. I am able to see more content such as pictures and videos that I would be unable to see through their print version. I could not however, find myself reading Foucault or "Moby Dick" on an e-reader/tablet (then again, I would not put myself though reading "Moby Dick" on screen OR text).
Without romanticizing libraries or regular books too much, there is a benefit of going to the library and holding a paper book in your hands that cannot be found with e-readers. I would argue many other college students would agree with me that some of the best research found for papers has been by going to the library and checking out a book. It is interesting how e-readers/tablets will fit in the world of academics and in the classroom -- or if they should even have a place there. You make an interesting prediction of younger generations and their relationship with tablets and technology. If Carr’s argument is correct then tablets and e-readers will not replace books, instead serve a different purpose.
A recent article on Wired shows how applications such as "Foldit" and "DragonBox" can help teach kids about science and algebraic concepts. In his case study of K-12 students in Washington State, Zoran Popović, creator of the app found "93 percent of students successfully mastered concepts after only 90 minutes of gameplay, and they didn’t want to stop" (Greenberg 2013: pg 1). Could this be the future of tablets in the classroom? It is interesting how subjects such as math and science can be successfully introduced through screen format. I wonder if it could potentially allow other fields such as computer science to enter the classroom and teach kids to code at an earlier age. Without having digressed too far from the subject -- tablets continue to create a space for themselves in the classroom, using them effectively will be the challenge.
Here are the links to the articles cited:
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323874204578219563353697002
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=reading-paper-screens&page=2
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/11/zoran-popovic/
I think that this post is a great way to consider the effect that changing technology has on learning, and in this case, reading. I agree with you personally that reading a paper copy is always more meaningful to me than reading something on a screen. It seems that the physical actions of turning pages, or marking up the document with an actual pen make a difference how I memorize and digest the information. I think too, that since books are infinitely accessible with e-readers, we don't cherish the gift of a good book anymore. In regards to young children, I think that reading with real "cover-to-cover" books is so valuable to making reading a beneficial joy to the individual learner. Thank you for including research and for helping us be more aware of these changes!
ReplyDeleteAnna, I agree with you and this article. I remember one semester I bought mostly online textbooks because they were cheaper and it was a horrible decision. I dound it really difficult to concentrate and read on a screen. I'd much rather read a textbook, so I take take notes on the sides and highlight important things.
ReplyDeleteIt really is interesting how diverse we are in learning. I enjoy reading textbooks on iPads and on my computer more that I do having the physical book. This semester I actually scanned my books so I could read them on the iPad and it was the best thing ever. I used the Notability app so I was able to highlight my text, type or write notes, and I was also able to book mark pages. Whenever I needed to look something up I simply searched a key word and I was given a list of pages where the word was found. Another great benefit is that if at any point you have a question about the meaning of a word you simply select and the definition is right there in a matter or seconds. One of the wonders of being a teacher is that you always have to be up to date with the latest music, fashion, expressions, an dof course technology. It might be out of our comfort zone but we have to realize that we will be teaching to "digital natives" and accommodating to their needs.
ReplyDeleteI like how technology is having postive effects but we can never change the past and at times it is just better to have a hard copy of a book instead of an ebook. As you stated with a hard copy it faciliates taking notes and flippling through pages.
ReplyDeleteThat was an amazing blog post and it is so interesting to read all the different views. I personally love reading from a physical book rather than on an electronic device. One thing that bothers me is that when reading from a computer or i-Pad it absolutely tires my eyes and they get all watery. But I also agree that i understand what I read if I read it from an actual book or on paper. It is strange but so true! When we have to read articles, I always have to go and print it out so I can write and highlight all over it. It's just what works best for me. Glad you shared this with us!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job on this blog!
ReplyDeleteI do believe that in our future we are going to go paperless. We have been seeing it in our own classroom with taking notes online. I personally, like reading from an actual book because it doesn't have a glare or hurt my eyes if the screen is to bright. I also find it very difficult to highlight using an ipad or kindle.