29 September 2014
 
Textbooks, print or digital, represent an organized body of information on a subject. They are necessary for learning. Researchers and marketers continue trying to pin down the pros and cons of paper versus electronic reading. But for learning, paper seems to be better. Here are some reasons.
 
An article on wired.com (http://www.wired.com/2014/05/reading-on-screen-versus-paper/) notes that digital content introduces distractions and it’s more difficult to focus. Deep reading is associated with paper, while superficial reading and reading without the need for higher recall seems to be the realm of electronic devices. Paper seems to require and foster more sustained attention. Digital reading goes hand in hand with multitasking distractedness. Even when the Internet and ads are not part of the equation, scrolling interrupts focus.
 
Additionally, paper books also allow for different types of annotation: underlining and dog-earing and margin-scribbling, which for many people is fundamental to deep reading. Screen-reading software may allow annotations, but the process is far less tactile. Tactility is important. For years, I have been telling my students that a connection between the hand and the brain exist. When notes are handwritten the content is more apt to be recalled. Studies validated this, for example, “To Remember a Lecture Better, Take Notes by Hand” (http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/05/to-remember-a-lecture-better-take-notes-by-hand/361478/). Gesture (writing) and cognition are closely linked. To write we construct mental models of the text.
 
So for this week what is the “take-away?” Print books and books that allow note-taking (annotations) seem to be better for deep reading and ultimately for learning.
 
Nevertheless, as I indicated last week, we cannot ignore the advantages of digital for reaching broad audiences. However, physical printing is apparently here to stay. The two formats truly are complementary rather than competing technologies.
 
Making use of this complementary relationship, the National Agricultural Institute, uses a hybrid approach for textbooks in agriculture, food and natural resources. Advances in software and hardware allow print copies of textbooks, in and open format for note-taking, and with links to electronic resources, These textbooks can be produced and sold at a fraction of the cost of traditional textbooks.
 
 
 
Rick Parker, PhD
President, National Agricultural Institute