I read more non-fiction than fiction, even for recreational reading, and I borrow a lot of books from the public library so I hope it never comes down to a choice that has print material at the losing end of reading options. I usually prefer to feed my curiosity about the topics that interest me than to delve into a work of fiction. So if, in a worst case scenario, I could no longer access this material in a print version, what would I do? I don’t want to have to tote around an e-reader and worry about keeping its battery charged. No, I want to feel a book in my hands, flip through its pages, and look at words and pictures on a page, not stare at a screen for hours.
For my own learning process, no matter how much material is available online (such as with this course) I still want to at least begin with print materials. For example, the first thing I did was create a word document of the lessons so that I could print them, place them in a binder, and work with them from there. I also did this with the articles that I summarized. I want to be able to highlight key points, jot comments on the page, and have some tactile contact with the materials – another validation of the information-seeking research model, especially the sensorimotor component!
On the other hand, I want to have access to electronic materials too, because sometimes they are more convenient, do not require physical space to store, can be kept current, can be shared by a whole class at once if necessary and, like a giant invisible mind-map, can lead me off into uncharted territories of learning and information if I just follow a few links.
And in my work I find there is still a majority of teachers at all grade levels who want students begin with print materials. Rarely will they bring a class to the library just to access information electronically. I prefer to see students begin with print materials to help them focus on their topic unless they simply cannot find what they are after, or need to quickly access a definition or some other information that will help them define their question or topic. And I think that the younger the student, the more important this is. However, sometimes the print material is too outdated or at the wrong reading or complexity level for the students, or there aren’t enough print materials available in the school library. Then students need to go directly to electronic sources. Having said that, I’m no Luddite, and I do see the value in having students use a variety of types of resources.
This is a toughie because the dilemma is only about to increase – digital vs hard copy.
I do some writing that is regularly published in a newspaper and a magazine. But, like you I can’t think without the stub of the pencil in my hand. Yet, the finished products are finished like a feedlot on the computer and archived who knows where today because the articles are also published on-line.
Digital materials don’t take up any physical space, making them easier to store. Yet their “virtual” existence also means they can remain invisible unless you know where to look. Even worse, they can vanish forever in the blink of an eye. I learned this when I lost all my files and photos last fall after my computer malfunctioned badly enough that I had to roll back all my settings to square one. Even though I’d been regularly backing up my data to a separate hard drive, I could not access it because the hard drive would not reload the data. Luckily, I still have the memory cards with my precious Wales walking holiday photos on them, but I will have to re-edit and sort them. Something similar happened to one of my daughters recently. She lost all her data because the so-called backup unit she used will not transfer her files to the newer Windows platform on her replacement computer. So technology is not always our friend, and the virtual world has its limits.
Further, a well-written, well-published book is a work of art unparalleled in the digital realm. The same goes for journals. While there is something to be said for journalling in blog format because you can write and then simply delete it – perhaps a quick kind of catharsis – a handwritten journal can also be artful and much better for the spirit. Perhaps this is because the physical presence and manipulation of the materials connects to the psychomotor aspect of learning.
I wonder how our increasingly “virtual“ existence will affect archeologists of the future.