In “Digital Libraries:
Shifting the Landscape” the authors Glen Bull and Martha Sites, discuss the
technology incentives of digitizing books. As a generation who read physical books; trying
to switch over to computer devises to read I feel that I hold on to the nostalgia
of curling up with a book for comfort. With the recent technologies of “Kindle,
iPod touch, and Google Android, Google books are becoming extremely popular” (2009
pg. 12). These devises allow extra help for students who have learning
disabilities like having a text read out loud. My concern is with students with
fine motor skills will have difficulties when trying to navigate through the
pages.
This article was
written in 2009 so I’m certain that for the last 3 years numerous of libraries
have made the switch along with the University of Virginia. I wonder if
students will be more willing to read off of their devise not ever knowing what
it’s like to hold a real book. Textbooks will be switching over to digital
versions for cost purposes. Technology will allow for students to tap into much
more of a learning experience than with an old fashioned book. As aspiring teachers our generation will have
to embrace technology and look for ways students will benefit. There’s always
the added benefit of saved space in the classroom with over 50,000 texts being accessible.
Alison Disque
Bull, G & Sites, M. (2009). Digital Libraries: Shifting the Landscape. Learning and Leading
digital.com/learning_leading/200908?pg=34&pm=2&fs=1#pg14.
Digitizing books has both an up side and a down side. The up side is that these books are beneficial to students with learning disabilities and those struggling to read. For that reason I feel that these devices are worth a try within the educational system. The down side is that for me i need a physical hard copy in front of me every time I read something, so that I can make notes, etc. Students will not have the physical copy in their hands and feel the pages turn. I know that you are able to make notes and highlights digitally but for me it is not as helpful in learning. The up side to not having physical books in the classroom is both the cost as well as the fact that students no longer have to carry that weight around with them. All in all I think using digitized books is a matter of preference.
ReplyDeleteHi Alison (and Brooke),
ReplyDeleteCurling up with a good real book or highlighting/taking notes in a real textbook are also my personal preference. There's a spacial awareness you get from navigating pages in a real book; it's easier to refer back to that quote or formula when you have a spatial feeling of its approximate location. Of course, there are key word searches available in digital books that aide in navigation, however, the note-taking aspect is much more cumbersome.
You can tell we were all raised on good old-fashioned paper books and therefore we may have a preference (nostalgic or otherwise) for them. I wonder how students a decade from now will view real books after likely having grown up on the digital fare. They'll probably feel much more cozy curling up with/studying from their IPad/Kindle than with a paperback/textbook.
Melissa
Hi Alison,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you put it: nostalgia. I think it really brings to light the emotional part of learning. We're human, so we're emotional no matter what we're doing -- even learning. A simple example of this is my own affinity with my pen on the page, taking live notes. Somehow my handwriting makes me glad, and somehow that connects to my learning. The brain is so complicated. It's odd to think that paying attention to the neatness of my notes actually helps me to retain more information. I know this seems like an off topic comment to make, but really, I am just piggy backing on the nostalgia of real, live note-taking that I most certainly would experience if I were required to go all digital as a student. I like my technology, but I like my pen, too. And using both together and finding a balance makes me a great learner.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Marina