Physical Textbooks Hold Strong in the Digital Era
Reference & Education → College & University
- Author Dave Jenkins
- Published August 31, 2010
- Word count 340
At the dawn of the second decade of the 21st century, the American educational system has changed dramatically over the last several years. Although History, English, & Geography still have a place in many colleges across the country, the new focus of the 21st century has been Technology, from hand-held gadgets and touch-screen computers to sprawling online social networks, games, and marketplaces.
As Ray Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns states: "an analysis of the history of technological change is exponential, contrary to the common sense ‘intuitive linear’ view". In other words, technology is continuing to mature faster and faster at an exponential rate, and thus more and more universities are expanding their curriculum to accommodate new students that are eager to jump on the bandwagon.
Technology impacts every industry, thus schools are finding unique niches to fill, including Game & Simulation Programming, Health Information Management, & Business Information Systems. The list goes on and on, with more new special programs coming out each year.
Yet, despite the growing amount of technology around every corner, most students still prefer a good old book to learn with. Electronic books and online study guides are being used in high numbers for homework assignments, and in order to keep up with the pace of society’s appetite for technology, all major textbook publishers are digitizing their materials.
For the moment though, when it comes to studying and learning the material, books still reign supreme, thanks in a large part to the fact that a pen and paper is still being used to take notes in class, physical textbooks are typically more affordable than their digital counterparts, and that the majority of synthesized lesson plans are provided in paper & booklet formats.
Call it nostalgia or ignorance to new technology, but it would seem that today’s universities still favor the physical textbook over the digital version. As technology continues to develop and students adapt to the new technology, the digital textbook may finally defeat his papery nemesis, but for now, textbooks still continue to be the standard.
Dave Jenkins is blogger and writer currently residing in Austin, TX, home to many universities and students. To learn more about how technology is directly impacts modern-day students, take a look at College Swap Shop, a place for students to buy, sell, and compare cheap textbooks.
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- Start with the End in Mind: A Guide to Thriving in College and University Life
- How to Write the Williams College Admissions Essay (Little Ivy)
- How to Write the Harvard Admissions Essays
- Why Students Need Strong Time Management Skills?
- Exploring Power Dynamics in University Housing: A Sociolinguistic Study at the University of Stirling
- 4 Common Mistakes That DNP Students Make When Writing the Literature Review Section
- Enhancing English Proficiency at Yessenov University through Literature
- BULLYING AMONG STUDENTS AND ITS EFFECTS.
- The Importance of Community Services Courses
- Unveiling the Dual Nature of Energy: From Creation to Neutralization
- HOMO AESTIMARIS: A Dualistic Model of Human Evolution
- The Rising Value of a Superior Degree in Brazil Today
- The Science (and Mystery) of Free Will: With Implications for Determinism, Morality and Law
- The Mystery of Gravity: An Exercise of the Imagination
- The Jewish Lobby
- Is college worth it?
- Biology in the Bible: Evolution in the Garden of Eden
- From Hand to Mouth: The Happenstance of Human Language Origins
- Uncovering Social Engineering: Shielding Your Digital Strongholds
- Pitfalls in IELTS exams
- Study of Bacterial Mastitis in Dairy Cattle of Pokhara Valley, Kaski Nepal.
- What is the best college counseling service for Ivy League schools?
- Are college admissions coaches worth it?
- How do I choose a college admissions counselor? — The Ivy Institute
- The Ivy Institute Recognized in “15 Best Ivy League Blogs and Websites” by Feedspot
- Reviews of The Ivy Institute Come in the Form of Acceptance Letters!
- What is Harvard looking for? Why this question is a student’s biggest mistake. — The Ivy Institute
- Do you need a college admissions consultant?
- Five digits may change admissions: Will zip codes become the new affirmative action? — The Ivy Institute
- Essay: Wave/Particle Theory Revisited: In Support of de Broglie's Model