When we read, we unconsciously note the physical location of information within a text and its spatial relationship to our location in the text as a whole ... These mental images and representations do more than just help us recall where ideas are located in a given text. We use cognitive maps to retain and recall textual information more effectively, making them useful tools for students who are reading academic texts to satisfy specific goals.Carr follows up by saying that when replacing a printed text with an e-version of it, people lose the benefits discussed above. I can see how this can make a major impact on students' study/work habits when it comes to school. I am just the type of reader that Carr is discussing. When I read something, I subconsciously remember where certain passages are within the book. I can "picture" where on the page it is, what side of the book it is on, whether it's before or after certain chapters. I don't have an e-reader, but it would be a concern of mine if I was to use the device for something more than just pure enjoyment. As an English teacher, I would worry that my students were missing out on this subconscious skill if they were only allowed access to e-books and e-readers. Which brings me to the next post I read on Carr's blog titled "Zero tolerance for print." Carr explains that Florida legislators passed a budget measure that bans printed textbooks from schools beginning in the 2015-16 school year. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this. I find this to be a huge disservice to the students in Florida public schools, and I actually can't see how this can happen. Sure technology is great, but not in all instances. Because many students learn differently, how can all students be made to use e-books? How will students with IEP's be addressed? What about the skills students get from reading and working with a printed text? I'm sure if all the printed books in the world suddenly disappeared and the only option was e-books and e-readers to access the information, people would adapt over time. But since that isn't going to happen, why not have the choice so that students can use tools that allow them to learn to the best of their individual ability? Ugh, unbelievable!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
old school or zero tolerance?
I just visited "Rough Type--Nicholas Carr's Blog" and was drawn it to a couple of his posts--"E-textbooks flunk an early test" posted on May 12, 2011 and "Zero tolerance for print" dated May 20, 2011. These posts caught my attention because e-books have been on my mind since the beginning of last semester, thanks to Suellen and LSC 557! What I read in Carr's post "E-textbooks flunk an early test" didn't surprise me mainly because I had read quite a bit last semester about e-book and e-readers and their use by students. Carr basically discussed how students who participated in an e-book/e-reader study at University of Washington found that they didn't really like using e-books and e-readers for their school work. Many students found them difficult to get used to and actually went back to printed textbooks because of their ease of use. There were several reasons why students preferred traditional printed textbooks brought to light in Carr's blog. One thing that caught my eye was research that he included that regarding the cues that printed books provide about the book's structure and content which aids a reader when trying to find information that they had previously read:
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Sure blame me that you have e-books on the brain :) Seriously though, as you discovered in your reading last semester e-readers appear to be a mixed blessing. I love many of the things I can do with my iPad, including read, but I also have loads of paper texts that I refer to regularly.
ReplyDeleteJ,
ReplyDeleteI totally get what you are saying in regard to the spatial thing. I also like to use little stickies to mark particularly interesting remarks that I may want to return to in the future. Ebooks may be convenient but I still prefer the printed word. Florida seems to be jumping on the Cushing Bandwagon and I personally think its a bit too early to get on.
I picked the same two posts to comment on, and I totally agree. Just call me old school, but I find it hard to use E-readers. I think it is so much easier to use the printed word. I guess I will be the only one carrying that backpack full of books around.
ReplyDeleteThis is the danger of adopting new technology just for the sake of being "hip" and "with it" ... It's like throwing the baby out with the bathwater; the library profession as a whole certainly needs to explore all options in order to remain relevant, but that doesn't mean that ALL of the "old ways" need to be abandoned immediately.
ReplyDeleteI see many librarians/speakers talk about literally chucking everything that is "established" within the profession, in order to make room for the "new" stuff and nothing else ... but then there are studies like these, which show that maybe our patrons aren't as ready for the "new" stuff as we previously thought (at least in a collective "all-or-nothing" sense).
Librarians need to "slow their roll," as it were ... ;)