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DOES THE BOOK STILL HAVE A FUTURE
1. Question Interpretation
Topic: Books (particularly books)
Key: Future
Absolute:Still
Command: Does?!
Define topic/keywords.
Book: Publication or a form of print media, bound and printed on paper.
State assumptions, if any. Do they need to be challenged? If so, howwould you do so?
Assumption: Books are antiquated and have no place in a modern high-technology world. Yes.
2. Write down your stand.
YES!!!
3. Determine the scope of your discussion (a) Categories/aspects:
Social, Educational, Economical, Physical.
(b) Levels/relevant parties: Individual
4. Fill in the table below.
Category/
aspect
Level Topic Sentence/Development of idea
Possible examples
Physical Indiv ConvenienceComputers and newproducts such as theApple iPad, AmazonsKindle claim to offer
convenience, but are theyreally?
Have to switch on thedevice, wait for it to load,then locate the files theywant on thecomputer/server
(download), difficult toannotate/peronalise thefiles as well.
VS.
Just picking the book off theshelf and reading
FLIPSIDEThese new devices comewith software that makessearching for specificcontent in publications
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much easier.
Health risks to usersModern devices haveradiation and are likely to
heat up over time, whilebooks are static and offerlittle risks.
-Health risks in usingcomputer productsunproven, but computers
do have radiation andcorrelation to various eyeproblems(glaucoma).-Greatest risks books pose:paper cuts and myopia.
Peoples love of thephysical form of bookscan be seen in the waythe Kindle and iPadsoftware mimic a pagebeing flipped.
If people regard books asantiquated and useless,why mimic it?
FLIPSIDEBooks are less durable,vulnerable to the ravagesof time and theenvironment.
Improvements intechnology can be used toimprove the quality ofmaterials used inpublishing, preserving theplace of books in the future.
Social Society Institutions housing books
provide aplatform/ambience/environment for socialinteraction and scholarlydiscussion.More personal, intimateexperience with bookscompared to devices.
The controversy and appal
at the National Librarybeing torndown/refurbished.You can share books andmake friends, but is it thesame when you share youriPad/ ebook?
Has a future as part of ourpast.
Must be a reason why thewritings and originaldrafts/manuscripts of
famous books are prized.Collectors editions ofbooks, and first editionshighly prized, is there ahighly prized ebook?
Economic/Aid effortsCheapest way todisseminate informationor material to the masses.Publishing material on theInternet seems to befree but there othercosts involved:
The plan to provide Africanchildren with $100 a piece,(OLPC organization inAmerica) is commendablebut still far more expensivecompared to books.Perhaps it would be betterto give them books?
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Users/buyers have to beowners of or have accessto computers or thosedevices.