Spring Break
Imagine the possibilities
Jason Wallace
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: Opinion
Why are we still buying textbooks? Since 2005, I have had to spend at least $100 on textbooks each semester. We are such a technologically savvy society, yet we still carry around expensive, analog textbooks. Digital texts and electronic reading devices will hopefully be the inexpensive future of required classroom materials.
I study when I can. The only problem is finding space to sprawl out my notebooks and textbooks. This leaves me with only several locations like my room, a library or a quiet store to get my study time in. The bus ride every morning along with the short breaks between classes are wasted times to study. However, if there was some kind of device that could digitally store my notes and textbooks, then I could have everything I needed in a portable fashion. Think of how much portability we gained by switching from a CD player to Mp3 player.
The idea for totally digital texts for class sprouts from the joys and frustrations of buying and owning books. When I buy a book, I know that it will be a permanent item as long as it doesn't become too damaged or severely updated, like most of our textbooks. The frustration of owning books is the ever decreasing space to place them in. Studying English requires me to buy a large quantity of texts. I still keep my old books for later reference; however, I don't want to carry around my old texts every time I move from apartment to apartment.
Amazon.com released an electronic reading device called "Kindle" in 2007. Being one of the most popular devices of its kind, it allows for someone to carry 200 books worth of digital texts in a device with the same dimensions and weight as a small paperback book. Through a wireless connection to Amazon, a person can purchase digital copies of books that are less expensive than the printed versions. The purchased digital copy of a text can either stay on the Kindle, or it will be permanently backed up on Amazon.com in case the reading hardware is damaged.
I study when I can. The only problem is finding space to sprawl out my notebooks and textbooks. This leaves me with only several locations like my room, a library or a quiet store to get my study time in. The bus ride every morning along with the short breaks between classes are wasted times to study. However, if there was some kind of device that could digitally store my notes and textbooks, then I could have everything I needed in a portable fashion. Think of how much portability we gained by switching from a CD player to Mp3 player.
The idea for totally digital texts for class sprouts from the joys and frustrations of buying and owning books. When I buy a book, I know that it will be a permanent item as long as it doesn't become too damaged or severely updated, like most of our textbooks. The frustration of owning books is the ever decreasing space to place them in. Studying English requires me to buy a large quantity of texts. I still keep my old books for later reference; however, I don't want to carry around my old texts every time I move from apartment to apartment.
Amazon.com released an electronic reading device called "Kindle" in 2007. Being one of the most popular devices of its kind, it allows for someone to carry 200 books worth of digital texts in a device with the same dimensions and weight as a small paperback book. Through a wireless connection to Amazon, a person can purchase digital copies of books that are less expensive than the printed versions. The purchased digital copy of a text can either stay on the Kindle, or it will be permanently backed up on Amazon.com in case the reading hardware is damaged.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
J
posted 1/22/09 @ 7:15 PM EST
Just so we are clear ahead of time, I am not talking about all professors. As long as you have arrogant educators/professors teaching students who happen to write their own text books for classes you will have to buy them. (Continued…)
Conradt
posted 1/23/09 @ 9:50 AM EST
Prepare to feel my Germanic, Democratic wrath, peasant.
Analog books?
posted 1/23/09 @ 4:42 PM EST
Although I agree with your point in this article, I was completely distracted by your severe misuse of the word "analog". Perhaps the misleading commercials pertaining to TV's switch to broadcast digital signals as opposed to analog signals has confused you. (Continued…)
Edward
posted 1/23/09 @ 6:04 PM EST
As much as I enjoyed the flight of fancy that this article took.....There will not be a switch-over to E-books as long as there is metric butt-loads of money to be made by the University selling the paper ones. (Continued…)
J
posted 1/26/09 @ 8:22 AM EST
There you are you schmuck. I actually did not remember your name but, thanks for reminding me. I hope it is nice to know that the only reason you stand out in my mind from college was due to a negative impression. (Continued…)
Post a Comment