Friday, July 10, 2015

Post VI. Considering the Future of the Book

Electronic books have become an integral part of lives of many people, especially students. I remember reading “electronically” since the beginning of the Internet era in the 1990s. What is great about the electronic book technology is the new kind of reading experience it makes possible. We all somewhat got used to the helpful functions that are provided by published-online books and contemporary electronic readers. I am talking about bookmarking, notes’ adding, dictionary look up, etc.

However, the majority of electronic books and journal articles are essentially copies of their printed versions and, therefore, never use the whole potential the electronic book technology possesses. The technology has developed to the point when article elements, such graphs, videos and tables, can easily become interactive. The possibilities for learning enhancement are enormous.

Designers have already started considering how the future of the book could look like. The IDEO company presented three great ideas that I think are worth attention. Check out the video below, and if interested, you can find the more detailed description of those ideas here. Who knows - maybe, one of the presented projects is being developed now.

What do you think about them? Would you use Nelson (that's my favorite)?



4 comments:

  1. Hi Varby,

    Thank you for your post, it was very interesting. I always thought that electronic books can become more than just a 'copy' of what was written. Electronic books should be taking advantage of this new platform and incorporate other types of information that would be beneficial to the reader. I thought that the Nelson format provides readers with more than one perspective on a topic. This is an interesting way to showcase different opinions and I think it is necessary for users in order to form informed opinions. I wonder how authors of these electronic books would feel when they are sharing the space in an electronic book with other authors that have differing opinions.

    I also like the coupland feature being used in the workplace. I like the idea of being able to stay informed in the popular topics in my field. If enough employees purchase a book, it becomes available in the company shared library. This is a perfect way to stay up-to-date with what everyone is reading.

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    1. Hi Shiba Inu Owner,

      Thanks for such a thoughtful comment. I agree with all the points stated ☺

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  2. Hi, Varby,

    Thank you for introducing this idea, and I especially like the idea to integrate what others discuss about one paragraph and the book. After watching a movie or TV show, I always search relevant forums to see others' comments and discussion about it.

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    1. Hi Yujia,

      I like to discuss movies I saw or books I read, too (especially, when some controversial topics are raised).

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