Digital books have been developing for a number of years but only now have they become so user friendly. Digital e ink makes it a lot easier for us to read without any glare from the screen and it also allows for a long battery life. They are incredibly light and you can do a lot more with them than just read books. There are many models available but the one which will probably lead the way is the iPad which allows you to read books, purchase them, bookmark pages, look up individual words in a built in dictionary or on-line, highlight passages that interests you, access internet, play games and so on all in high definition .
Digital books do cost more than the average book but once you have one you have access to thousands of books for free and others you can purchase usually for less than a printed copy. AmazonKindle is claiming to be the most popular product you can buy on Amazon and the Kindle versions of the books are cheaper than the printed books. Publishing houses are closing down on a large scale. In some areas of the UK
We also need to consider the fact that printed books are very costly to produce. Of course there is an option of printing on demand which is great especially for printing desired books which are out print. These were previously too expensive to produce if there was a need only for a few hundred which is not an issue anymore.
Even so the digital version of a book is becoming a lot more popular. Printing millions of books and shipping them all around the world is also not environmentally friendly which is something we really need to consider in this day and age.
Not all the books are available in the digital format yet but it is well on its way. Project Gutenberg which was founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart is the oldest digital library. Currently it stores over 33,000 books which are available for free or for a low cost to anyone. The books are set in a format usable on most computers. Also, more and more authors are keen for their books to be available in the digital form. There are many educational books available for free on line just waiting to be used.
It seems that this technology has evolved and is available; however schools have not implemented it yet. If schools would get more involved, how would this affect secondary school education? How will this technology affect learning of all the subjects but mainly reading and writing? Is a possible closure of libraries going to affect children’s social behaviour? Are e-books going to make life easier for children as well as teachers? Or is it going to cause problems? I would like to get points of view on this subject directly from teachers, pupils, libraries, digital media companies, publishing houses and the general public.
The need for a school or even a public library may be gone soon as children will be able to search for whatever textbook, novel, poetry or encyclopaedia they need for their subjects online. Copies of all the books will be one day available to anyone so unlike the traditional library, we will be able to access books at any time and at the touch of a screen.
Is going digital in education just the next inevitable step forward or is it unrealistic at the present time?
This is my diary blog to follow my research about the future of e-books in education but also my practical projects for this academic year 2010/2011.
ReplyDeleteI have to go back in history a bit as this was set up about a month after the course has began ;)
I am going to use this blog as my on-line diary to follow my research for BAD3 in Art&Design and also my practical projects.
ReplyDeleteI set up this blog nearly a month after I started the studies so I’ll need to go back in time a bit ;)
The above proposal is hopefully the final version of the original. The 1st version which was presented on 7th September was too wide and covered other aspects I was interested to explore. I wanted to research history or printing, book and illustration but as this research is only up to 4,000 words long, all of this would not be possible to cover.
I am very interested in e-books and to be honest didn’t know much about them up until recently. I have always been a bit of a book worm and really can not imagine the world without printed paper books, however the idea of being able to carry thousands of books with me wherever I go sounds very appealing ;) Guess I will be giving some xmas hints to my hubbie lol.
I am very lucky as I have been working in education for a number of years and I think e-books could give it a great boost. Just imagine all those kids who don’t think reading books is cool. They may just be persuaded by a lovely, shiny e-book (or one would hope). But also the fact that children will be able to access any needed book at any time unlike in a traditional library. I really believe e-books would be a great tool to pupils as well as teachers.
They are available and there is huge amount of free educational material ready to be used on-line, however schools are not catching up yet.
I am very interested to find out how much do teachers, pupils and general public know about these possibilities.
Resources:
I will be able to access a lot of information on-line and in libraries but I will need to source more from Kilsyth Academy where I work, digital media companies, libraries publishing houses and the college.
I have prepared questionnaires for Kilsyth Academy teachers and pupils, Forth Valley College tutors and the general public. These will hopefully help to determine how we perceive this digital technology and if we should try to go ahead and implement it in secondary and further education.
Time plan:
20/09 - 27/09 Prepare proposal and organise questionnaires
27/09 – 18/10 • Give questionnaires to Kilsyth Academy, Forth Valley College and the general public.
• E-mail various publishing houses, libraries and councils with the questionnaires.
29/09 & 06/10 Organise interviews with the headmistress and teachers at the Kilsyth Academy
11/10/2010 Calculate results from the questionnaires and compare the outcome
27/09 – 01/11 Organise a work experience placement in a publishing house or a digital media company
15/11/2010 Evaluate information and experience gained at a work placement
20/11/2010 Draft research report
17/15/2010 Complete the research report
On 13th September we went to see from the college a Joseph Beuys exhibition at The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, an artists’ studio of Victoria Morton and Andy Scott’s workshop. Very interesting work, it was good to meet current artists in their work enviroment. This was my 1st time in The Huntarian Museum, I really enjoyed Joseph Beuys exhibition. I found it quite insightful and very intimately describing his experiences during the war.
ReplyDeleteOn 14th Septmenber I have chosen 2 briefs, an illustrated book inspired by Signs, Similes or Contradictions and Charlatan Ink Art Prize competition brief.
ReplyDeleteFor the book I am planning to concentrate on Contradictions, possibly exploring people-sayings and concentrating on human nature. I would like to explore various printing methods, mainly screen print, woodcut and perspex etching.
I intend to look at and try various printing processes mainly in the illustration brief. I am planning to research techniques of various illustrators. People that I am hoping to get inspiration from are Sarah Bodman, Albin Brunovsky, Ludovit Fulla, Gustav Klimt and current printmakers and illustrators.
I am planning to produce at least 16 page illustrated book and hoping to have draft ideas prepared by the end of October and finish the project before Christmas.
For the Charlatan Ink Art Prize competition brief I am hoping to concentrate at the origins of our being – ‘Where do we come from’, our genes but also our desires that helped us to evolve.
The Charlatan Ink brief I would like to approach in a mix media way, using acrylic paint, printing and include texture.I am thinking of combining a detailed ink drawing or etching with a very expressive and free painting technique.
I am planning to produce sketches and complete research by middle of November and also complete the painting before Christmas.