iPads, Kindles, and the coming paperless world

Welcome to a paperless world.  

It’s a concept, I’ll admit, not currently embraced by students at large. Even The Office’s Michael Scott would shake his head in disappointment, touting the importance of his favorite product.

But the benefits are hard to argue. It cuts production costs, saves trees and is a lightweight alternative to the printed word.

And universities at large should be encouraging this paperless revolution. The fiction world has already jumped on board.

So while elderly Kindle owner’s swipe pages with their fingers, 20-something’s crane their necks in dim light to cross reference problems and answers. It’s a cruel dichotomy for a generation that often snickers at the late adoption habits of their parents.

The textbook industry has held fast in the digital revolution. Instead of adopting their model to e-ink and interactivity, they’ve jacked up the prices of the print editions.

Digital downloads of books are offered, but students are still reigned to their desks, pouring their attention over a laptop instead of a heavy book.

A paperless, portable and effective study tool is within reach, but it won’t come in the form of an e-reader. Kindles and like minded products just aren’t appropriate for the study needs of a college student.

In a pilot test conducted by Princeton University, 50 students were given Kindles to use in their courses. Upon completion it was called a “poor excuse of an academic tool.” Students cited the lack of interaction with the text as a major flaw.

It takes a more powerful device to offer the proper amount of manipulation necessary for a student to absorb information.

The iPad (and the emerging tablet industry in general) is a possible contender for this position.

More comfortable than reading on a computer screen (although the LED backlit display would have to go), a tablet would allow for a student to carry all of their textbooks in one lightweight device from class to class.

While using the tablet, a student would be able to annotate, highlight and look up the definitions of words. Better yet, a student would be able to manipulate their textbook so they could access their notes from any Internet connected computer.

This would allow for students to comfortably sit at a desktop with a keyboard and a mouse and even use the ctrl+f tool in their studying.

Some might say this doesn’t sound worth it. What’s wrong with using traditional textbooks or a pen and some paper?

Nothing at all, it’s just that the paper industry is unsustainable.  

Americans use about 85 million tons of paper a year. With 2 billion books, 250 million magazines and 24 billion newspapers published, that means an average citizen uses one 100-foot Douglas fir tree every year.

A greener future means embracing a paperless world and the tools to do it are already here.  


E-mail: danfleis@indiana.edu