Digital
and print resources both represents the transition between two ages, or the
beginning of a new century. To some extent, print information is part of the
last century while digital is part of twenty-first century’s people daily life.
In ʺWhy digital is better than print,ʺ Dan Blank argues a series of points of
why digital is better than print. Blank exposes why digital is better than print
in a very convincing fashion that most people may agree.
First,
access to digital information is straightforward and spontaneous while printed
becomes tedious and time consuming. Blank states ʺthe ability to dive deep into
the archives of all media to pull up relevant results the moment you need itʺ
(Blank). Thus, digital resources allow people to access the information need it
in seconds without spending hours looking for information in stacks of books.
Second,
print resources are limited to a single form, thus, neglecting the diversity of
opinion and information that exists or like Dan Blank declares ʺDigital
empowers the masses; Print has gatekeepersʺ (Blank). Schools and universities
base their courses mostly in a single book or text, so students limit their
knowledge expansion and learning about different ideas or opinions on a
particular topic. However, with the digital age students have access to a wide
variety of information on a theme which allows them to create their own ideas
and opinions.
Though,
reading print resources may result in a better comprehension; its medium
results obsolete. Dan Blank states ʺno
longer confined to one mediumʺ (Blank). Digital resources give to the users a
variety of ways, shapes and designs to access and manipulate the information
making it even more attractive for people who do not like reading or researching.
Digital redesign and reinvent itself so quickly to keep up attractive and to
avoid falling obsolete.
In
the long run, each person must evaluate their own likes and habits about
reading and researching, for some people digital can be better than print, and
for others can be the opposite. Print and digital resources of information both
have their advantages and disadvantages, like easy transportation or better
comprehension, but the end their transition it is only part of the natural
evolution of life. The old must open the path to the new life.
Blank,
Dan. ʺWhy Digital Is Better Than Printʺ I
Feel Fine: How I learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Web. Danblank.com.
n. p. 5 August 2000. Web. 26 October 20014.
See also: Culatta, Richard. ʺHow much better is digital versus print learning,ʺ Bloomberg Tv
I agree with your statement about how schools use of one textbook or book per class limits the amount of varying opinions, information, or thoughts we are exposed to. This poses an issue especially if one textbook has a biased slant or if the writers did not have diversity of idea in mind. Many times they do not, and this can often give students not the wrong idea, but a less expansive idea that restricts them from widening their frame of mind regarding the topic.
ReplyDeleteI especially agree with your point because of the fact that many textbooks, to limit pages, words, and/or confusion regarding a specific topic, are very concise and to the point. This does not leave room for detailed, in depth information that may give us a better understanding of all sides of a topic. If, however, we were using digital (our phones or computers internet) to do our own research on a topic, not only would we find a significantly larger amount of information on it, much of which is more detailed, but we would likely retain the information better because we sought it on our own. I am glad you made that point because I never considered it before and it makes a lot of sense, especially regarding the topic of why digital is better than print.