[Air-l] Technology Transforming Education--EE-Learning

[Matthew Bernius]

You and I and all of us on this list are using "printed words," and only
printed words, to do our communicating.


Perhaps, being someone who spends a lot of time thinking about the
physicality of "print" qua ink on a substrate, I have a difficulty referring
to a monitor's strategically placed, projected black and white graphics as
"print." It's type, but in electronic form. Hence typographic literacy...
but I admit I'm splitting hairs here.

I think that physical book ownership will become the domain of the
wealthy,powerful,intellectual and religious elite worldwide. Why?
Because digital publishing can now be done cheaply on a global scale
with print, audio and video through iTunes

I actually think there will be a further split in the so called book market
between disposable books and archived (perhaps "fine art") books. This isn't
anything new, btw. You mentioned digital publishing, it's worth mentioning
that digital book publishing is one of those tools that can also be done
cheaply and, with shipping, effectively on a global scale. Producing a
single copy of a black and white, perfect bound, soft cover book can runs
below $3.00.

Anyone today can publish a book (provided they take the time to learn how to
do basic layout), and with a $20 purchase of a block of ISBN number get it
into Amazon without ever having to invest in inventory or go through
traditional publishing gatekeepers.

What's currently lagging behind is democratic authoring software. That's
primarily a technology issue. We are fast approaching a time (thanks to XML,
the internet, variable data printing technologies, etc) where anyone can get
a cheap copy of any public domain document for an insignificant (at least in
Western terms) investment.

Does that not mean that electronic paper will eventually change everything?
Nope. But as Steve has already pointed out, that's still going to use
typographic characters to facilitate communication.

- Matt

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Matthew Bernius
New Media and Customer Intelligence Strategist for Hire
mBernius at gMail.com
http://www.waking-dream.com