“Finding Your Book Interrupted… By the Tablet You Read it On,” by Lisa Bosman and Matt Richtell. New York Times - nytimes.com. Published March 4 2012

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In the article, “Finding Your Book Interrupted… By the Tablet You Read it On,” Bosman and Richtell discuss the trend of people who read their books on tablets getting distracted by other features.  Instead of continuing to read, people will find themselves on Facebook, checking email or just playing games.  While some people have said that the iPad or other tablets are simply too distracting as a reading device, others claim that it makes them a more discerning reader.  If a book can’t hold your attention when Facebook is just a finger tap away, then the book must not be worth continuing. 

As a reader of books of all types I found this article very interesting.  I check out print books from the library constantly.  I read books on my iPad and I read books on my nook simple touch – your basic black and white e reader.  I got my iPad first and downloaded the Overdrive app that allows you to check out e books from the library right away.  Being distracted from my book wasn’t the reason I found reading on the iPad to be difficult.  The lighted screen ended up making my head hurt.  Also its size and the bright screen made it inconvenient to read at night. 

While I did at times play on my iPad instead of reading my books, I don’t feel that this behavior was any different than if it had been a print copy.  If a book begins to bore me, I find a different book, go watch tv, go on the computer or any number of things.  The medium of my reading material has never made me more focused or less (except for the issues of the bright screen)

However, if I were coming to the iPad or any tablet for that matter and I wasn’t an avid reader to begin with, I wonder if it would be the same.  Would the pull of Facebook be too much?  And if it were, would it be the same if I were reading a book in print or on a regular e reader instead?

"Why Ebooks Need Libraries" by Beverly Goldberg. American Libraries -americanlibrariesmagazine.org. Published March 28, 2012

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In the article Why Ebooks Need Libraries by Beverly Goldberg, the author examines the problem of ebooks, which is that “sharing is antithetical to ebooks.”  This makes the process of giving your friend a book recommendation a little harder as you probably don’t want to hand over your Nook or Kindle so they can read it.  After all, then what would you read?  While many e book publishers have balked at the idea of allowing libraries lend their e book titles, and those that do seem to have made it as frustrating a process as possible, libraries are still one of the best place to get people talking about books. 

The article talks about the practice of “hand-selling” talking directly about a book and making recommendations based on readers’ preferences.  There are entire classes and workshops on this topic in the world of libraries – Readers Advisory is one of the most important aspects of library services.  The publishers are worried that somehow having more people read and discuss their books will make profit margins go down.  Yet as the author David Guterson points out, his first book Snow Falling on Cedars became a best seller because librarians were recommending it left and right. 

Rather than doing their best to keep libraries away from the world of e books, publishers should be running towards the library.  I only buy a book after I’ve borrowed it from a library and loved it.  If I couldn’t borrow books from the library, I would own a whole lot less books.  With publishing moving in this new direction, eventually people will have to find a new way to market, price and sell books.  But until then, it would make everything a bit better if libraries weren’t being left out in the cold. 

"Bringing Up an E Reader" by Thomas J. Fitzgerald. The New York Times - nytimes.com. Published March 28, 2012

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In the article "Bringing Up an E Reader" by Thomas J. Fitzgerald, we look at the changing world of learning to read.  Young readers today are as likely to read their picture book on the screen of an iPad or Nook color as they are on the printed page.  Classrooms are beginning to integrate e books and tablets into their curriculum, and many parents use the devices with their children at home.

While some parents and educators are thrilled by e readers, others are more wary.  While a child may show more interest in reading on a device, those with reservations wonder if the child’s enjoyment has more to do with the stories themselves or the animation and games that often accompany the stories. 

After attending a workshop on picture book apps, I have seen how passionate people can get about this topic.  After first reading the print forms of the books The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton and Freight Train by Donald Crews, we were then given the chance to view the books in their app form on iPads.  The text and pictures were still there, though the form was slightly different as it had to fit on an iPad screen rather than an open book.  The stories were also accompanied by animation and activities.  Boynton’s book allowed the reader to move characters around and find secret animation hidden on the page.  Crews’s book had a musical track (that could not be muted) and each car of the train had a simple activity or game hidden inside. 

After reading the book we debated whether the apps added or took away from the experience of reading the book.  While most thought that it was a fun addition, a few people at the workshop declared they would never give such a thing to a child as it would ruin real reading.  The discussion kept going back to the fact that an app shouldn’t replace the one on one interaction of parent and child reading together.  This is also where the article leads.  Many researchers believe that these apps will encourage parents to abandon their children to the screen. 

Yet, I believe that a parent who is going to hand their child an iPad and not engage their child would do the same thing with a regular picture book.  It is up to the parent or guardian to make sure that a child is truly learning early literacy skills.  By discussing the pictures, the text and yes even the animation on the iPad, a parent can engage in the activities that will help a child grow as a reader.  While I believe that reading regular books will always be an important aspect of early literacy, we cannot deny the direction that technology is moving.  To prevent children from seeing how these devices work, we will be hindering their technological literacy.  By incorporating both into a child’s learning, we can help to ensure that they become well-rounded readers.  

"Google's New Glasses and the War on Serendipity" by Linda Holmes. Monkey See - npr.org. Published April 5, 2012.

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In this piece, the author explains her discomfort about the new project currently underway at Google, Project Glass.  She worries that it could have a negative impact on society. She states upfront that she loves her iPhone and her tablet and that she has no problem in general with technology moving forward, but that the constant connectedness that would be created by Project Glass makes her feel like society would stand to lose any spontaneity.  

I also have an iPhone, an iPad as well as a Nook.  I love having the ability to look up something at the drop of a hat.  However, before I bought the phone my husband and I had a serious talk about how we would use a smartphone in our family.  We agreed that in the phone would not be used in social situations unless there was a specific reason to look up something.  For the most part, both of us have kept this promise and do not bring out our phones when out with friends or family.  If anything we’ve used it to spend time together as we will occasionally play games together on the same phone.  So I too will admit that I do not live in fear of technology overtaking society.  We can make conscious decisions as to how we will act when using different social networking or tools. 

However, while I do find the Project Glass to be disconcerting.  While my husband and I have made a choice to avoid becoming so entranced by our technology tools, not everyone makes this same choice.  I constantly see families around a table at a restaurant where no one is talking to each other.  Instead each person is texting or playing on their own phone.  Having my connection to the Internet literally before my eyes at all times is just too much. 

The author’s fear of a loss of spontaneity wasn’t something that initially occurred to me, however I do understand her fears.  I do not appreciate the idea of being constantly monitored or monitoring others.  When someone uses yelp or something of the like tries to “check me in” on Facebook I always deny the request.  I do not feel a need for the world to know where I am at all times.  In fact when my husband and I go on vacation we never publicize this on the internet as I do not want people to know that our house will be empty for an extended period of time. Furthermore I frankly do not care to know where my friends are at all times.  I expect they are going about their lives just as I am. 

While I do believe that technology should move forward and that smartphones have not broken society or anything I do think that it is each individual’s responsibility to interact with society.  This particular advance in technology makes society connections secondary to the technology itself.