- Davidson, Cathy N. & Goldberg, David T. (2009). The Future of Learning Institutions in a Digital Age. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning.
This report examines learning institutions and how they have or will be changed in the digital age. Multiple forms of participatory learning were examined to test the power of “virtual institutions” and to model other ways virtual and digital can be used for learning. They set ten principles that are foundational to rethinking the future of learning institutions: self-learning, horizontal structures, from presumed authority to collective credibility, a de-centered pedagogy, networked learning, open source education, learning as connectivity and interactivity, lifelong learning, learning institutions as mobilizing networks, and flexible scalability and simulation. Though the findings in the authors’ research they hope to “mobile our institutions to envision formal, higher education as part of a continuum with the collaborative, participatory, networked engagements that our students participated in online today.”
- Ito, Mizuko & Horst, Heather. (2008 November). Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning.
Through the study of the youth and online culture, the research shows “peer-based learning has unique properties that suggest alternatives to formal instruction.” The learning engagement that is offered online immerses students in their interests and education. Participants can produce and evaluate knowledge, with peer-based learning online “youth (are) taking a more ‘gown-up’ roles and owership of their own self-presentation, learning and evaluation of others.”
- Jenkins, Henry. (2007, June 26). “What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About the New Media Literacies.” Retried from http://henryjenkins.org/2007/06/what_wikipedia_can_teach_us_ab.html.
Jenkins explores the activity on Wikipedia.com and a recent study from the Pew Center for Internet & American Life which shows that more than half of all teens have generated media content online and roughly a third have shred the content they produced with others. This participatory culture offers potential benefits such as peer-to-peer learning, morals regarding intellectual property, a diverse understanding of cultural expression, the development of a modern skillset, and the pride of being a part of a empowered community. Learning and knowledge based social communities, like Wikipedia, empower students to value what they have learned in their coursework, see their own research as having value among others, and to take responsibility over the accuracy of what they have produced.
- Kingkade, Tyler. (2011, August 11). Rising Costs Force Students To Skimp On Textbooks. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/11/student-advocates-sound-alarm-on-textbooks_n_924536.html.
Seven out of 10 undergraduates have passed on purchasing at least one textbook because the cost was too high even though most believe not having all their textbooks would adversely affect their grades. The students recognize textbooks are essential but they have been pushed to “their breaking point” by dramatically high and raising costs. Open-source textbooks, digital versons of books that can be accessed on multiple platforms, allow students the same luxuries of printed books (highlighting and printing) yet cost less and last longer since updates can be made directly to the digital version. Students can easily adopt to digital eBooks largely because they have grown up with mobile and digital technology.
- Kinzie, Susan. (2006, January 23). Swelling Textbook Costs Have College Students Saying ‘Pass.’ The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/22/AR2006012201290.html.
Traditional print text books have risen at double the rate of inflation for the past two decades, according to a Government Accountability Office study. According to the National Association of College Stoes, 60 percent of college students nationwide choose not to buy all their course materials due to the high price tags. Students at four-year school spend, on average, about $900 for books, which is more than a quarter of the cost of tuition and fees.
- Neary, Lynn. (Host) (2009, December 30). How E-books Will Change Reading and Writing [Podcast]. NPR. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122026529&sc=emaf.
Writer Nicholas Carr explains how technology is transforming not only the way people read but also write. Carr argues that the internet is training us to read is a disjointed matter and often times distracted. He believes this means writers will have adopt a new form of writing that will attract this new class of readers. His argument is based upon the new styles of writing that came after the invention of the printing press and he believes a new form of writing should also evolve out this new technology, “the internet.” Despite this evolution, traditional books will remain.
- Nicholls, Natsuko Hayashi. (2009, April). The Investigation into the Rising Cost of Textbooks: A background study of the context of Michigan Initiatives with an eye toward launching a library-based college textbook publishing program. Scholarly Publishing Office – University of Michigan Library. Retrieved from http://www.lib.umich.edu/files/SPOTextbookBackground.pdf.
Generaly ebooks cost roughly 50 percent of what a traditional print book would retail due to the savings in printing and production. The benefits of ebooks include easier updating, ability for readers to make notes as well as search, print and bookmark the text. There are several university initiatives across the country that aim to create a program for ebook development and distribution as a more affordable option.
- Ostrow, Adam. (2010, July 19). Amazon: Kindle Books Now Outselling Hardcovers. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/07/19/amazon-kindle-sales/.
For ever 100 hardcover books Amazon sells, it also sells 180 Kindle books. Amazon notes that ebook sales grew 163 percent in May 2010 and 207 percent year-to-date through May 2010. These sales have been aided in he fact that e-readers have gone under price cuts to get to more consumers. The growth of e-readers nearly tripled since the prices have been lowered.
- Rich, Motoko. (2008). The Future of Reading: Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? New York Times (July 27, 2008). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?_r=2&ex=1217908800&en=b2960ae3b8cce1b2&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin.
Rich examines the new kind of scholars the internet has created. Rich explains that society should not discount online reading—to some it is inspirational. It is argued that “it is unrealistic to expect all children to read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ or ‘Pride and Prejudice’ for fun,” for those students who rather sit in front of a television or video game can benefit from online reading. Online reading can also benefit those with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, since graphics are normally accompanied with online literature. Some literacy experts say “online reading skills will help children fare better when they begin looking for digital-age jobs.”
- Schroeder, Stan. (2010, July 29). Amazon: E-books Will Overtake Paperbacks by the End of 2011. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/07/29/amazon-e-books-paperbacks/.
Amazon estimates that ebooks will outsell paperbacks by the end of 2011. So far there has been no confirmation on whether or not this has been accomplished.
- Schroeder, Stan. (2011, November 28). Amazon Kindle Has Its Best Day Ever on Black Friday. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/11/28/black-friday-kindle/.
Amazon’s Kindle ereaders and tablets sold beyond expectations on Black Friday in 2011. It was not only selling well on Amazon.com but also at Best Buy and Target. In fact, according to the vice president of merchandising at Target the “Kindle Fire was the bestselling tablet in our stores on Black Friday.” Sales increased four times since last year.
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