Rolando

e-book is available with you all the time, particularly if you are carrying a smart phone or tablet. That is a great convenience. I have started using them slowly, mainly because of the convenience of easy searching. It is also available on multiple platforms as long as you are connected to the internet.

Many of my students (bachelor degree) still prefer normal books compared to e-book. But the number of students preferring e-books is increasing. I think it is inevitable that we may soon be moving into digital books sooner or later.

It depends on the cultural and economic conditions around students community. For example, when it is possible to use TICS as Smart pones or tablets or notebooks and you have got a good experience of reading in front of a screen and the reading materials are digitalized, it does not matter to have a printed copy. It is enough to have it online. But, when students as community do not have access to these kind of digital resources and they have not acquired custom to read in front of a screen, it is important to maintain printed books. Also, sometimes it depends on the age of the population. For example, for elderly population printed books go on to be functional and easy to use them.

These are all excellent points. I contend, though, that paper-based books are invaluable and can't be replaced, realistically, by e-books. I refer to comprehension of text. Particularly for a test, where you need to be able to recall specific information, text permanence (usually in e-books you can scroll up and down the page, especially if you have zoomed in so you can read the text), the human brain is hard-wired to remember information by relation, and the permanence of text-place (text that remains fixed in place on the page) is a fundamental relation. That relation to space is a memory trigger.

Do you remember, visually, perhaps, where you found the information you need to answer a question on a test?

We are not in a wireless world.

Hello All,

A great discussion thus far.

@ Rolando Serra Toledo, I believe that the question you have asked makes for a great research paper that would be very revealing for us all. It would be good to hear what: (1) students have to say about this; (2) what teaching faculty has to say about this and, (3) what the educational administrative body has to say about this. I am suggesting that you can do a survey/questionnaire, with the view of obtaining empirical data.

Any thoughts?

In my humble opinion, nonetheless, I firmly believe that printed books are still very much relevant. Were they not pertinent, publishing houses would have only been publishing in digital form. As we are aware, this is not the case.

Whether an academic or not, some of us just do not like having to read online, or from the computer. I do not always like it. I like to have the book in front of me. The light from the computer screen is not friendly, as one's eyesight could be affected with the passage of time.

I must also agree that ebooks also have their relevance, as they are in great demand. It saves paper, and it is easy to carry: on the computer, or one's mobile device, flash drive, or some other mass storage device. The good thing about some ebooks is that one is allowed to highlight certain important parts of the text. I find that very handy.

Though I find that both are still very relevant, I would have to say that, given that we are in the age of technology, ebooks will soon become the 'new norm', and, as we can see, this is the current trend.

Warm Wishes,

Kerwin.

I have HUGE issues with COMPREHENSION as testing the understanding of a text. Turning a text into a map is like saying that Chopin's music is the notes. Before we run like mad and start investing in comprehension as a recall which also is a problematic concept, we should go and talk to musicians or psychologists and possibly learn about what does it mean to comprehend Chopin or recall an event. As for the main question, it is not theoretically framed, hence impossible to address. At best I can compare it to "Is there a place for high heels in the culture which increasingly becomes about comfort and unisex clothing?"; really u know the answer which is: -- high heels dont exhaust the choices and people are about imagination and choices.

Considering environment and sustainability, I feel that e-learning will be preferred since it will save a lot tress. Saving tress is considered as one of the options to tackle climate change since trees act as a carbon sink. On the other hand, printed books (such as older and reference books) can still be kept in libraries for general public.

Desired information are sometimes not easily accessed online hence the need for printed copies

Dear Scott, Nageswara, Maricruz, Shaffe, Kerwin, Ania, Golam and Bridget, thank you very much for the important contributions!!.

Virtually all those who enjoyed reading, we feel a special attraction for a good book, not only for its content. We appreciate a good bound in stiff paste, printing, the white pages, the smell ... even the weight of the paper bricks make us enjoy reading. However, the experience of reading a book is about to change forever.

By asking if books have in the future, the answer might be no. We live in the last days of the age of printing. The production and distribution of books gradually migrate to cyberspace and the screen will replace the written word on paper. Students can now download e-books (electronic books) while several texts may be stored in a small device. Electronic publishing in journals is also becoming a common activity in school. This information is not exclusive, can be shared by two or more persons and used simultaneously without generating any cost. Many readers can read both articles without necessarily using an information, a feature that is maintained even when the information is duplicated and distributed widely. With the advent of cyberspace has also emerged feature electronic information dissemination can be free for the benefit of all. That is the potential of the Internet, while many companies have made great efforts to maintain control over ideas, music, codes and all data can sail cyberspace.

It is common to find virtually any recent novel digital version. We only require a device such as the Kindle or the Nook to access it. The next step is the transition of the digital space formatted content. Tablets like the iPad allow us access to magazines, newspapers, comics and other multimodal content.