Touch-Screens vs. Book Seams

Despite it's name nuanced with archaic writing images of stone and chisels, tablets are quickly becoming a standard means to access all kinds of writing.  Books, magazines, blogs, newspapers, you name it, mostly likely "there's an app for that" (a phrase now inculcated into our culture courtesy of the iPhone commercial cir. 2009).  When initially introduced, at least around my neck of the woods in Michigan, tablets were met with criticism and a hint of bewilderment.  What is the purpose of a tablet?  It functions like a smart phone without the phone service.  It has a big screen, but will people really want to read whole books and articles on it?  It's portable, but so are laptops and books.  How is a tablet anything new?

I admit, I was one of those skeptics.  Tablets did not seem to fill any particular need in our society.  It was just another way of doing things we could already do just as easily with the materials we already used.  Maybe these were fashionable items to use in the New York City corporate world, but for the masses, tablets were just a new toy.  Then Borders' headquarters in Ann Arbor started to waver, and rumor had it, it was in part because of Borders' lack of electronic book resources.  I couldn't believe it.  These seemingly excessive tablets were affecting a major bookstore company right here in my own state!   And well, we all know how that ended.  I was shocked and could not understand how electronic reading held so much weight in the publishing industry.  However, tablets were not directly affecting or persuading me to change my reading habits just yet, so I felt vindicated in my position against them at that time.     

Nearly a year later, I am now confronted with electronic resources and tablets on a regular basis.  Through my job search efforts and publishing industry researching, I am learning the capabilities of tablets and their value.  The tablet seems to be creating its own niche in our society to the point where it will become a valuable asset if used, and in some areas, a noticeable absence if not used.

I recently experienced a defining moment--it couldn't have been a more opaque transition than if it had been scripted for a B-rated movie!  During my summers, I often work as a nanny for a couple of families in addition to my job as a camp counselor.  About a week ago, I was taking care of one of my neighbor's kids--we'll call her Abby.  I've known Abby since I was 12 and she 2.  She was my very first babysitting job then and we've grown up together with a pseudo-sister relationship ever since.  I've watched her grow from toddler to elementary schooler and now she's in the fifth grade.  When I was setting up a craft for us to do that one evening last week, Abby said that she had to charge her tablet for school tomorrow and promptly bounced away to retrieve it and plug it into the kitchen wall.

I just stood there.  I couldn't actually wrap my head around it for a bit.  It was like there was a big sign saying GENERATIONAL GAP flashing in neon lights above my head!  When the idea of Abby routinely using a tablet for school sunk it, I began to re-evaluate what I knew about about reading and teaching.

Granted, I am still learning about these things.  But I have gained a good foundation of techniques and skills through growing up with a pro-active elementary school teacher for a mother, learning basic teaching techniques as part of my undergraduate degree, and working as a tutor and Assistant Director at Alma College's Writing Center.  Pushing back the slightly repetitive voice in my head saying "BUT YOU CAN'T USE A HIGHLIGHTER ON A SCREEN!!!" I decided to get a first hand, unbiased perspective about tablets in schools.

I asked Abby to show me her tablet and asked her loads of questions about how she uses it and what she likes about it.  Come to find out, tablets offer a plethora of resources that just printed textbooks could not.  In Abby's case, she uses her tablet for her math class.  The textbook is online and includes demonstrative videos, question and answer group chats, and e-mail directly connected to her teacher.  She liked that she could just type in the page number for her assignments and she likes using the "zoom" button to focus on just one problem of her homework at a time.  The technology did not confuse or frustrate her at all.  My own education based solely on printed textbook learning had clouded my judgement on the possibilities of tablets.  It's not so much that tablets offer better reading experiences, they offer more options for learning experiences.  Now I have even seen tablets, such as the iPad, advertised as a selling point in commercials for local school districts here in Michigan. 

I am beginning to compare the tablet create-a-niche phenomenon to other technologies.  Think about it:

Cell Phones:  "What would anyone need to carry a phone around on their person when they can just call who they need to when they get home?"

Texting:  "Why can't you just simply call?"

Even calculators: "Just add and subtract yourself!"

Now, each of these technologies has a distinct purpose.  Are they major advancements?  No.  But they have shaped how our society communicates and thinks.

Similarly, tablets have created a unique function:  Portable, instant accessibility with multi-media capabilities.  These features will certainly influence teaching methods with positive results.  Beyond the educational realm, the convenience and ease of reading a variety of material--books, magazines, newspapers--will impact our culture.  How we read, what we read, and why we read will become entwined with tablet reading habits.  And this is good!  Tablets encourage wide-range reading that encourages life-long learning.   

Now, I am by no means a complete tablet-only convert.  Do I think tablets and electronic reading should completely replace print?  No.  Print still offers a particular experience unique to its tangible nature.  Many have commented on the irreplaceable "smell of an old book" or "feel of turning a page" and I'm inclined to agree.  Maybe I have this feeling in part to nostalgia of reading experiences--you know the ones: Curled up with your mom with a picture book, snuggled into bed during a storm with a paperback, or sipping tea on a cold winter morning with the newspaper.  But even if that is my reason, my bias does not make it invalid.  These are experiences I still crave for myself and hope to maybe even eventually share with my own children someday.  Print holds history in its form more so than electronic renditions.

That being said, I find that electronic and print serve unique reading functions.  Tablets create wide-breadth reading experiences, as their convenience and content accessibility foster exploratory habits.  Print offers more focused reading experiences that better allows for contemplation.  As I write this paragraph, I recall an article I read about the way the brain tackles reading on screen versus on paper for my senior thesis, though I don't remember what I've done with it!  Once I find it, I'll probably be excited and dedicate a bit of blog writing to it.  Stay tuned!

So, in conclusion (because I like conclusions and re-caps!) as I continue my job search, I am excited to begin my career in publishing at such a innovative and evolutionary time!