In Favor of E-Books — Christina Markoulaki
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Hello Chris!
You’ve raised interesting points in your post, especially the fact that e-books can include applications that can make them more interactive and the issue of trees.
I love your quotation about adjusting youselves to changes!
Hugs!
Marisa
Thank you sweet Marisa and hugs back!
So many great ideas, Christina! I guess it really is more like complementary sides of the same argument–that people should read! I love the way you include tech skills with your reading activities. Your students are very lucky!
I totally agree Barbara! Reading on a screen or on paper are two sides of the same coin.
I sincerely thank you for your kind words! Lucky students have teachers who try to do their best despite their -inevitably flawed- human nature.
Online greetings to a most supportive iTDi director!
Christina 🙂
Christina, I agree with Barbara’s comment about your students being lucky, and I agree with everything you say up to the lovely blue card with the quote at the end. It is lovely, but it strikes me as being out of place because it talks about maintaining a balance with nature. Now what is distinctive about the so-called digital revolution is the way it turns its back completely upon nature. Or if that is a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t there at least a risk of things developing in such a way that the online experience will be so overwhelmingly immersive that reality, including the winds that we once adjusted our sails to, comes to seem drab and redundant?
For the time being, digital books and their digital accompaniments do have great potential in the classroom, but looking further into the future I think it is hard for some of us not to be a bit concerned about where things might be heading. I have tried to express some of these concerns in a reply to your post on digital books.
Hello again Torn! It is nice to see that you enjoy reading the iTDi blog and leaving your comments which I appreciate a lot- honestly! You always interpret reality by adopting a very different perspective to most people I know and this is pleasantly refreshing.
It is my turn now to agree with you. E-books bring along a lot of benefits we could not even imagine a few years back, but what has the future got in store for people who overuse or misuse technology? Nobody can tell. Throughout our history, we humans have continually proven that we are capable of the best and the worst on this planet.
I haven’t read all the post you referred to yet, but I will and then I will give a more complete answer to the concerns you express in your comment. However, let me remind you of these concepts: nuclear power, airplanes, stem cell research, robotics and, of course, technology in its wider sense. Should we never have devised or utilised any of these for fear of their negative impact or should their use be correct, proper and moral so as for humankind to reap the benefits only?
(I know the aforementioned adjectives are totally subjective, which might be the root of the real problem!)
Back to reality now Torn: winter courses have just started in Greece (I am sure you know) and I refuse to use technology to get to school (especially on a day like today which is devoted to bicycles) so I have to run (or to ride) to be on time!
Thank you once again for the constructive comment!
Christina
P.S. I’ll ride a folding bike; I am afraid that is modern technology!
P.S. 2 With the iPod on! 🙂