Technology And Technology

Marc Presnky argues that college should ban the use of physical books to encourage the use of electronic books. He gives three reasons to support his argument. The author of the article “College Should Mandate That All Textbooks Be Digitized” states three main advantages of having a bookless higher education. He believes that society should move beyond “physical books of the past” in order to move “education into the future” (Presnky). By employing the use of digitized books, Presnky believes that people will have features not quickly available to physical books such as comments or analysis about a book. Lastly, Presnky believes the biggest advantage of fully transitioning to e-books is the liberation of ideas from printed pages. He thinks

Imagine a day when youngsters would leave for school carrying nothing more than an electronic device weighing less than one pound. The advent and growing popularity of electronic textbooks may make this a reality sooner rather than later. No more students trudging around with 20 pound backpacks strapped to their backs. No more lockers jammed with textbooks and notebooks. The benefits of transitioning to e-textbooks are many and provide advantages for both students and educators.

Textbooks are big, bulky, and sometimes very heavy. Schools, especially, high schools, should begin to use electronic textbooks, instead of paper textbooks. Electronic textbooks are convenient for students and are also cost effective.

Some may think that the only customers of textbooks are the students but that is not the case. There are a variety of customers that buy the textbook before it even reaches the student, someone has to decide what textbook the students are going to be using for which particular course. Business school curricula is changing and therefore their textbooks needs are changing, they want textbooks that cover a variety of information and data in one single, easy to transport textbook. Some school that were moving the modular course structures wanted books that were easy to cover in a course that lasts sometimes as short as a week long. And now, more and

With more schools going digital in all aspects of paperwork, e-folios are becoming more effective. According to the article The Pros and Cons

Chapman, Gary. "Digital Nation: Push to Trade Class Textbooks For Laptop PCS Is A Misuse Of Technology." Teacher Librarian 26.1 (1998): n. pag. Education Research Complete. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

The seller of digital textbooks will also be saving money over producing hard copies. 32% of the cost allocated to paper, printing and editorial can be completely eliminated along with 22.4% of costs related to bookstore operations and personnel. Bookstores as we know them could become obsolete or transformed into stores that sell tablets, e-readers and software packages on campus. Publishers or sellers will now be able to tap into a more global market with electronic textbooks as the information can be translated into many languages quickly.

The electronic book (e-book), existing as a virtual entity stored in a digital file, began to emerge in its own right in the last years of the twentieth century. Like many new technologies it suffered from technical teething troubles, ineffective or inappropriate marketing, commercial rivalries that slowed its progress, and initial public scepticism or indifference.

Currently, all learning materials are printed and distributed to students during class hour. Due to budget constraints, the college is considering minimizing the paper and printing cost by making learning material available online with appropriate access restrictions.

Another significant advantage with e-Book comes when the reader, student or business associate wants to capture key tips and phrases. With the digital format, the reader can underline and highlight as much as is necessary without making permanent changes to the pages. But there is more! With an e-Book the user can search and reference specific information using hyperlinks. The reader has immediate access to the sources used!

As a librarian of the Open University Malaysia, I had read an excerpt from an online education article recently about how new technology had transformed the way we live, especially from the education aspect. The investment of new technology such as e-books and e-journals had made library more easily accessible. The shift from traditional library to e-library do transform its usability, yet the benefits still debatable.

E-books are defined by Shin (2014) as being “an electronic version of a printed book that can be read on a computer or handheld device designed specifically for this purpose” (p. 63). Essentially, e-books have become a substitute for printed textbooks. Partly because of their convenience and partly due to the cost savings associated with them.

In e-learning courses, information is offered over computer networks to instructors and students who are often in different physical locations, but are accessing the same materials through their computers.

e-Learning is a catch-all term that covers a wide range of instructional material that can be delivered on a CD-ROM or DVD, over a local area network (LAN), or on the Internet. It includes Computer-Based Training (CBT), Web-Based Training (WBT), Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS), distance or online learning and online tutorials. The major advantage to students is its easy access. There

Firstly, the superior flexibility and accessibility of e-textbook is one of the benefit using over traditional textbooks (Coleman, 2004; Cavanaugh, 2002; Long, 2003; Myers, 2009). The characteristics such as attractiveness and ease of availability encourage students to consult for textbook information.