Should the latest technologies replace books?

No the latest technology should not replace books because in conventional sense reading a printed book which is hand held and whose pages are flipped with fingers and requiring no technical knowledge to handle it are some exquiste feature which we cannot find and feel in ebooks in computers or tablet Pcs . Secondly as you said we develop emotional bonding with books through course of time but this is not the case with ebooks . I believe both have their unique place and corresponding advantages and disadvantages therefore they should be used in such away to complement each other and not to replace each other .

All those tech gadgets are nice and all, but aren't a replacement for a real book yet. Books gives you a great flexibility in that you can read them everywhere, comment and write them (even though many say that you shouldn't) if you want, but with e-books that's much harder, and also are faced other constraints like the price, availability, battery recharge and breaks. Both have their place, but for the most general reading I prefer real life books. It's a shame that a school forces everyone to have an iPad. Not only it's an elitist measure, but also discriminatory and prohibitive for those that can't buy one due to the high price. They should be remembered that education is a RIGHT for everyone, regardless if they can or can't buy something.

I, too, like books. All this technology is too much for me.

That maybe happen if all the people has money to buy it. But the bad things is that only those rich can afford to buy those gadgets...so it cannot replace book. Even if the technology is in advance enough... But if the government distribute those gadget for educational purposes. It will replace book and no more books...

I guess NO. Technology cannot replace books. These technologies may have advatanges (such as quick search and bookmarking), but it also has disadvantages (such as the need for electricity).

I love the idea of holding something that I'm reading. Sure, you'll be holding an iPad or any other electronic reader. I moved to New York recently and I expected that people would be reading a lot from these gadgets but I was wrong. Still a lot of people read from pages of a book. Also, I read that eBooks are a lot more expensive. This is because of author royalties. The exemption to this would be classics. About textbooks, I agree. How can you highlight an electronic text book? If there is a feature on this on ereaders, it might not be the same thing.

I read on my computer and on my Amazon Kindle, but I stil like the feel and the smell of a real book made out of paper. I have many books that I have collected over the years, but now I don't have much more room for new ones, so I now tend to buy and download e-books. _Derek

I have had e-books for several of the classes I have done online and a few of the classes had regular books. There are advantages to both for me. I don't like having to carry books around and I find it easier to just use the search feature to find specific information in the book when I read it on my computer. If I were trying to find information in a regular book I would have to search through the entire book or chapter in order to find it. I agree that playing games on an iPad during class could be a problem, but kids already do that with their cell phones or other gadgets anyway if they think the teacher is not watching so it wouldn't be any different there. I think it would be common sense to just charge the battery every night and keep the charger in your book bag in case you had to use it a lot during the day. If the teacher is doing their job, they would be looking at what students are doing with their iPad and if they are off task, then action can be taken against individual students. I was in my 30s when computers became readily available, but I still prefer that to reading, at least as far as text books are concerned. For general reading, I still like to flip pages, but I don't do that very much any more. Have a great week!!!

Out of respect, I think books should be preserved. Nevertheless, I personally have now switched to computer and other gadgets when it comes to my researches because it is more convenient and faster. Now those low bat problem with iPad is just case to case basis and it all depends on the students sense of responsibility but whether we accept it or not technology has made things easier for many so the old school ways are really left out. But books should be preserved because later on that will still be of help.

E-books are a thing of the present that is for sure. I so recall carrying heavy books from class to class. Have you seen or read Farenheit 451? If you haven't you should. It is a futuristic view of what will become of books. Secret colonies of people memorizing their favorites because they have been outlawed.

Hi PP! For me myself I would say I still love learning with real books instead of using the gadgets like tablets/laptops/computers. Like you said I still buy books because I really love flopping through them and of course the smell of the book will only make me want to finish reading it in short time. It makes reading become exciting. I don't like to stare at the screen for a long time- not good for the eye for sure and the feeling is not like when we are using the real books. I can't imagine living in a world without a book made from papers~(^^) For students, I still think that books is better than the tablets. But they can make it like using tablets just for reference or like a textbooks yet they still need to write in a paper for homeworks so the at least they know how to srite instead of just typing out the words.

This is a wonderful post and topic.I love reading books.Its part of the fun to hold a book in your hands and flip through the pages.Technologies are great and useful but when it comes to replacing books they have gone to far.I enjoy going to book stores and libraries and buying or checking out books.Some times its better to hold onto the past and keep with tradition.

Today's reading technology in terms of e-books and e-book readers is tremendously improved. I think all books will be in digital format someday.

There are lot of advantages on having Ipads and Kindles. But for me, I still look forward in going to a bookstore and looking for soft or hard bound copy of a book to read. I love the smell of a new or old book.

While I can see where our generation is going, I can understand why. Technology is advancing, and change has to happen. At the same time our resourceses are being depleated, and pretty soon we'll loos all of our green spaces. Books are made out of paper, and papar isn't going to last. It can't last forever, and technology is one way of perserving the written word. Books are great, but sometimes you have to be willing to move forward. At the same time, you have to think about those who are disabled. Yes, there is braille for the blind, but do you understand how hard it can be to read? If a page wares then it can be next to impossible to read the page. Yes, some books are done on plastic, it's called thermaform.... but that's even more annoying to read, and presents with the same problem. An E-reader can read a book aloud. And since you can get an audio book, the price is reasonable because its NOT just for the blind, its for the general public, so book sellers aren't going to charge an arm and a leg for an audio book, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to produce. While I don't disagree there is a certain nalstagic view tward old fassioned book-reading.... sometimes we have to move tward the future. Move to a more paperless salution so we can reserve it for when it's needed. Try to make things work slightly to benifit both parties. Try to keep old fassioned paper books for as long as possible. I don't disagree that if a child had a tablet, they wouldn't use it for school work. However, tablets can be created just for schools. And, they wouldn't be able to download games or use the internet freely. While Wi-Fi, is new and virturally everywhere.... its not reliable and signals can easily be blocked to prevent students to using them needlessly. Laptops, desktops and portable devices only have a short range for Wi-fi raadio waves. So schools have ways to prevent kids from using their tablets (if the school provides them) to ensure the student only uses it for school.

I am with you on this pinkpiglet. I think that though there already high gadgets that could let you store and read books, it's still nicer to have a real book. Just as you said, you can stop reading and have it dog eared and go back to it whenever you can. You don't have to worry if it's low battery already, because it's there anytime you feel like reading it again. In addition, not everybody can afford those gadgets. So it's better to have those real books, because it could be handed down to those less fortunate people , who are also fond of reading or need them for their schooling.

I think it have many advantages but it can be a problem for the people who do not have the experience of using the new technology. Maybe they find it difficult to handle the new technology. It is okay for me to use the e-books and I have already done that while I studied in the college. I was provided with the material and i use to prepare for exams with the help of the e-books.

E books are already common to use now a days.But I think using hard bound books to read is still the best way for us to read especially for studying but the e book is the most convenient way because we will be able to study not giving us hard time in carrying or loading a book.

Probably the e-book will replace the printed book, but not completely. I think there will always be people who prefer to read a book printed on paper. Allthough an e-book may offer some advantages over the printed one, as are the smaller size, the light weight and perhaps the lowest price. However, I also notice some disadvantages, such as eyes irritation and to be dependent on battery. As is well known, the book exists since it was written on papyrus. After, when printing was invented, the distribution of books was massive. We now have the e-book, and a reason for this also, is the tendency in the world to use less paper. You're right when you say that, with the e-book, we don't feel the touch of paper, nor turn the pages or his smell. I still prefer the printed book.

For me it's better if technology like E-book reader replace textbooks, because i have an experience when books can be PITA(pain in the a**). My parents got a lot of old books and at one time they decided to move to another house, because i'm young, they ask me to help with the book... when you have a book collection that can fill up an entire room, moving to another house can cause you pain in your back, trust me... so i like technology like e-books more than an actual book, because when we move, we don't experience back pain...