How the E-Book Will Change the Way We Read and Write - WSJ.com - 25 views
-
memories
-
katherine hufnagel on 03 Nov 11I agree with the comments on the distractions and fagmentation e books and online materials may face. I am guilty of quickly switching my attention to the next pop up or readily available source. I do think that the idea of sharing opinions an thoughts on a text as we are now are truly an aid to comprehension. I think that the benefits of this type of widespread literature outweigh the shortcomings. -
Pam Hayes on 03 Nov 11As a graduate student, I can see the great benefits to learning with these tools. -
Karl Fisch on 06 Nov 11Katherine, what implications does that have for our students? How do we help them nagivate an info-rich world with lots of distractions, and still think deeply about ideas?
-
-
-
Essential Questions: 1. Is reading a "fundamentally private activity" as the author states it has been? Consider how you would answer this question 20 years ago, today, and 20 years from now. 2. How is reading and annotating this article online in conjunction with others the same as reading the un-annotated/printed version (and think about printed material in general), and how is it different? 3. What are the implications of this for teaching and learning, and for your classroom?
-
1. Yes and no - when I read a good (print) book I want to share it with someone. -
2. I think as students are able to discuss in the anonymous (or at least perceived anonymity) of the online world, they will be much more willing to engage in the discussion(s). I believe this will lead to more open verbal discussion as the students get into the topic. I think we have to realize that this is the world today and it really can have very positive benefits for our classrooms.
-
-
2009 may well prove to be the most significant year in the evolution of the book since Gutenberg hammered out his original Bible.
-
- ...10 more annotations...
-
Amazon's early data suggest that Kindle users buy significantly more books than they did before owning the device, and it's not hard to understand why: The bookstore is now following you around wherever you go. A friend mentions a book in passing, and instead of jotting down a reminder to pick it up next time you're at Barnes & Noble, you take out the Kindle and -- voilà! -- you own it.
-
print books have remained a kind of game preserve for the endangered species of linear, deep-focus reading.
-
old-fashioned book in your hand, the medium works naturally against such distractions; it compels you to follow the thread, to stay engaged with a single narrative or argument.
-
As a result, I fear that one of the great joys of book reading -- the total immersion in another world, or in the world of the author's ideas -- will be compromised. We all may read books the way we increasingly read magazines and newspapers: a little bit here, a little bit there.
-
I don't think so. Really prolific readers usually have more than one book going at a time, to suit mood or different roles, etc.
-
I think this is a valid fear. However, I also believe that in some cases a digital version could help to keep engagement and focus. I don't think it can just be one way or the other. We will always need "real" books and digital books now have their own important role, too. -
Who is to say that total immersion in just a portion of the book isn't just as valuable as sustained immersion in the complete work? The imagination can take a student anywhere if he or she sparks some insipiration.
-
-
In this world, citation will become as powerful a sales engine as promotion is today.
-
A world in which search attracts new book readers also will undoubtedly change the way books are written
-
we need to have a technological standard for organizing digital books. We have the Web today because back in the early 1990s we agreed on a standard, machine-readable way of describing the location of a page: the URL.
-
Agree....a standard that insures quality search results....we need a digital Melville Dewey for this. -
I am sure brilliant minds are already at work on this. I can find what I want, now. However, it would be nice if I had resources other than Google to find specific titles . . . unless that is just my shortcoming.
-
-
Right now, introductions are written with the assumption that people have already bought the book. That won't be the case in the future, when the introduction is given away. It will, no doubt, be written more to entice readers to buy the whole book.
-
Seems this could make the intro much like a movie preview...less personal statement of the author.
-
-
a la carte pricing will emerge,
-
kind of like when we buy an episode of a particular season of a TV show on iTunes
-
Could be a money saving feature in textbook purchases when instructors only cover certain chapters.
-
I already find excerpted materials in the textbooks I've used over the years. I could easily create my own web-based textbook and teach what I want without being tied to what is available and skipping around the things I don't wish to use.
-
-
newspapers with extinction.
-
I knew then that the book's migration to the digital realm would not be a simple matter of trading ink for pixels, but would likely change the way we read, write and sell books in profound ways.
- ...3 more comments...
-
I knew then that the book's migration to the digital realm would not be a simple matter of trading ink for pixels, but would likely change the way we read, write and sell books in profound ways. -
Author brought forth some interesting ideas I had not considered. References to page numbers, possible lack of total immersion due to distractions, fragmentation, and sensational or attention grabbing introductions to enhance interest/sales are all possible changes on the horizon in the way books are written. I can visualize some very beneficial applications, especially sharing perceptions, but also see some potential shortcomings. Thought provoking article! -
One more thing, I signed up for Diigo and made certain I was signed in. However, when I clicked on the link to read the article again I did get the article but did not get a highlighted version with sticky notes. Any suggestions? I tried multiple times.
-
Terry - I'm seeing the same thing. Sometime when I visit the page the annotations are there, sometimes not. Haven't seen that before so I'm not sure what's going on.
-
Terry - Interesting. It looks like if I'm on the page and add the http:// in front of the URL, the annotations appear again (when I just click on the link they don't). Must be something weird with how the WSJ is handling pages and how that interacts with Diigo. Perhaps I chose a poor article to demonstrate this with, huh? :-)
