Personally, I enjoy being integrated into my schoolwork. I have a fun case of ADD (or senioritis, whichever you prefer). Strictly textual information becomes mundane rather quickly for audio/kinesthetic learners such as myself. I prefer to, as Ann Eisnberg states in “Making Science Leap From the Page”, “take advantage of the things only digital media can do, and that are superior to print, to broaden the ways students learn.”

There are advantages for going digital. Some of these are discussed in Eisnberg’s article: “They’re out-of-date. They’re expensive. They’re boring.” Others would be the ease of access and transport. I cannot keep track of the e-devices being released, but I know that those key aspects contribute to their success. Personally, I haven’t carried notebooks around campus for at least three semesters. I switched to strictly taking notes on my laptop because it was a simple way to keep all of my notes with me at all times. I have also been using Google Documents more, for any in-class work that requires using the classroom computer. I don’t have to worry about losing my notebooks or spilling a grande, double dirty, soy, ice chi on the ink and smearing the postulates of quantum mechanics. Digital information is more organized, accessible, and transportable.

However, Audrey Watters displays some disadvantages of going digital in  “Apple and the Digital Textbook Counter-Revolution.”

She argues that “digitizing [the] model of instruction changes nothing. Adding video changes nothing. Pinch and zoom and flashcards change nothing.” I’m sure that some people would agree with her, but being the admittedly ADD inspired person that I am, I disagree, but hey, to each their own.

Another disadvantage argument she makes is that “digital [information] should be cheaper.” I actually agree with this one! I recently purchased the Barnes & Noble e-reader, the Nook, under the assumption that it would save me money buying books in digital form.  I assumed that without the cost of production and print that any digital book copy that I purchased would be significantly cheaper. This, however, was not the case.

I am all for digitizing textbooks! I see the potential and would personally benefit from it. The lack of production and printing costs should be reflected in the price. I also see the downfall that would bring to publishing companies, the loss of jobs, and issues for low income students that creating e-textbooks would bring.

Things change, we just have to wait and see if it’s for the better.