FEATURE
PAGE
6
nov
29 2012
The rise of the
t n e d u t e-S
With the rise of e-resources and the Internet in academia, how has learning been technologized?
Students make transition to e-readers rience with the Kindle equal that of a print book; in some instances, Budak thinks the eunior Nick Budak began reader surpasses print books his personal e-book jourbecause it is more conveniney only about a month ent and actually works better. ago, yet he is already a con“The way the screen vert—for him, there is no reads is startlingly like a turning back to the days book. It’s hard to imagine an of ordinary print books. electronic screen that can so A friend lent him an Amaccurately emulate the flat azon Kindle while Budak texture of paper unless you’ve was studying abroad in Beiactually held one,” he said. jing, and he plans to purchase Also, unlike a typical his own very soon. Initialcomputer or cellphone, the ly, Budak struggled with the Kindle has an astonishing obvious differences between battery life, making it usethe Kindle and print books. ful for the student on the go. After using the Kin“I read at least five midto long-length books, including an entire trilogy, over the course of multiple weeks without having to charge the Kindle once. In fact, by the time I returned the Kindle to my friend, I had read everything in her ‘library’ that seemed interesting and the Kindle still had a little battery left,” said Budak. While most people consider the Kindle to be best for pleasure reading, Budak personally feels that he will rely heavily on his Kindle for academic reading as well. As a politics and Asian studies double major, many of his classes distribute long PDF documents as reading, such as journal articles and book excerpts. “The Kindle can download and turn anything in PDF format into a ‘book,’ making it the ideal platform for getting class reading done and saving loads of paper from printouts. I’m not normally someone who With the advent of the e-book, students face a new choice when purchasing texts prints out articles anyeither for leisure or class: on the e-reader or in physical print? Photos by beck way, but the Kindle is by Kaili Masamoto Staff Reporter
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dle a few times, though, he quickly grew accustomed to the new reading experience and is now completely won over by e-books, even delaying doing his homework beyond his normal habits for the sake of pleasure reading on his Kindle. “I became a convert virtually the moment I picked up the Kindle,” said Budak. “My friends can attest to the fact that, although we were hiking and traveling on the gorgeous Tibetan plateau, I was riveted by the Kindle pretty much every spare moment.” Not only did his expe-
definitely preferable to reading off a laptop screen, and way more portable,” he said. The Kindle also has useful features such as a “percentage display” which tells you how far you are in the book, and gives you the ability to highlight and take note of your favorite quotes. Budak found this made academic reading more exciting as well. “The Kindle even tells you what passages other Kindle users have highlighted, bringing a social element to reading. Features like these make reading more than fun; it’s addicting to use the Kindle! Unlike with gaming or Facebook, however, we’ve been raised on the principle that reading is good, so I don’t feel guilty when I go on a Kindle binge. I’m learning!” he said. However, he acknowledges e-books are not for everyone or for every reading type. While he believes that the benefits of Kindle reading outweigh the drawbacks, Budak still is a fan of printed books. “Many non-popular or niche titles are not yet available on Kindle and I am perfectly comfortable buying the book[s] at a local store. I also like to read self-published or ‘indie’ literature on occasion, and I feel like that kind of work belongs more in a hard copy,” he said. First-year Laura Ames is a fellow Kindle owner, although she is not quite as convinced as Budak of the Kindle’s virtues. “The Kindle is very convenient, but I think there’s something about having the book right there. All my favorite books—like ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’— there’s a physical copy that I always read,” she said. First-year Jeremy Nolan’s preferred method of reading is on a Barnes and Noble Nook; he’s had one for three years.
“It was kind of an impulse buy. I’ve always liked Barnes and Noble, I’ve always enjoyed their products and I like being loyal to a certain brand so I figured I would go with Barnes and Noble,” he said. Although he currently uses it for pleasure reading and as an “accessory to [his] laptop,” Nolan says he can see himself switching over to all electronic reading in the future. Unlike the rest of these students, first-year Tino Mori has happily stuck with print books. To him, print books have a special feeling of permanence that makes them more worthwhile. Since our society today is so technology-driven, it’s a nice change to have a print book instead. “I spend too much time on a screen as it is, writing, doing other stuff. It’s relaxing not to have a screen sometimes,” he said. His adherence to covers, paper and bindings does come with a bleak realism of what the future might hold for books. “It’s hard to imagine a future with books, though,” said Mori. “Jetpacks, floating cities ... don’t really jive with books.” While the transition, if it happens, will definitely be gradual and not happen anytime soon, it is impossible to predict if books will ever become obsolete. In a time where vintage and old thrift stores are more popular than ever, we might continue to cherish books. “Our generation seems to simultaneously be obsessed with leaving the old behind and recapturing the ‘retro’. Given that vinyl, 35mm film and other ‘analog’ forms of data storage have all found a home in the 21st century, I’d say the traditionally printed word will stick around for a while,” said Budak.
Professors incorporate tech into classrooms, assignments by Hannah Bartman Staff Reporter
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he average Whitman student is surrounded daily by technology. Between doing work with word processing to reading e-resources, the use of computers in education is becoming increasingly vital. This phenomenon has forced professors to reevaluate their use of discussion in a world where human contact is being replaced by digital communication. “If I can provide [students] the opportunity to utilize the tools that they use inside the classroom instead of outside the classroom and keep it focused on the activity, then I see no problem with that,” said English Professor Christopher Leise. “This is the reality of how students study and consume information. I would rather keep pace with how you guys do your thinking and learning rather than to try and force something unnatural.” One way that Leise accomplishes this is through his use of Wikispaces and blogs in his class. In Wikispaces, students can tweet questions they may have about the reading, or post some of their own work. This allows for group collaboration and discussion of ideas that extends outside of the classroom. “It allows for the conversation to stay active beyond class,” he said. “Once they are done I think the sustained conversation about what they’re doing with their paper and how it’s being received by an
audience really gives them a clear sense that it’s not just homework for a class, but it is part of a fundamental act of communication [and] that other people might be interested in what they have to say. I think that really reflects what we do as writers in the scholarly sphere.” The same is true with the use of blogs in classrooms. Both Leise and Professor of History Elyse Semerdjian use blogs to encourage communication outside of the classroom. “It helps [students] steer away from the sense that there’s a way that you’re supposed to write for college, and more towards the idea that there’s a way that you should write for other people so that they’re interested,” said Leise. Discussion in a public format not only widens students’ perspectives to the opinions of their peers, but it also provides them with the chance to make an opinionated claim, even if it may be wrong. “I hope that my students will get used to thinking in public as well as in private,” said Justin Lincoln, professor of new media studies. “It’s okay to be wrong sometimes and change your mind, even publicly.” The use of blogs and other modes of interaction on the Internet create another medium for contemplation of class material. Lincoln believes that the interactions of students on his class Tumblr site reinforces ideas to be discussed in class. “I think that in the educational process we need to think about things many times. Just thinking
about it once is not enough,” he said. “You think about something as you read it, as you respond to it, as you talk about it in class and then maybe in a different discussion later to an issue that we’ve talked about three other times. That’s great.” E-books, while not utilized by many professors due to the lack of availability of full books online, can bring distractions and barriers to class. “My sense is that a lot of faculty members are not completely sold that e-reading is going to always work for a good, small classroom dynamic where you’re having intense conversation and close readings,” said Semerdjian. Assigning e-books also means that laptops and other e-readers are to be used in class, which brings other distractions directly into the classroom. “I still have not figured out how to have a seamless conversation with the class while a person has a wall, which is the top of the laptop, between me and that person,” said Semerdjian. “Technology sometimes can become challenging to a good conversation.” While the Internet and e-books are increasingly being used in classes and for homework, not all Whitman classrooms have bridged into the newest available forms of technology. At times this is the choice of individual professors; however, the onus is often on the college itself. Jon Loney, manager of instructional multimedia services, works to increase Whitman’s equip-
While e-books are cheap, they remain absent from most classrooms. Photo by beck
ment and technology use, working to assist the professors in their increasing needs for technology. “As far as the classrooms I feel like we are a little behind [with technology], but there’s a certain element for which technology is unnecessary for us because of the size of the campus,” said Loney. The lack of funding for large projects causes Whitman to fall behind in modernizing the classroom. “We used to have a set amount
of funds for adding new classrooms, but when we had the recession that was one of the first things that got cut,” said Loney. Despite this hindrance, Whitman classes have still adapted to the varied use of web-based communication to further improve education. By utilizing new technology for educational purposes, professors can continue discussion outside of class and produce an education that is a transition from the past.