The+Reality+of+E-readers+and+the+Traditional+Textbook.


 * [[image:Go_Fix_It_2.jpg width="800" height="600"]]Kindling a Brighter Future or Burning it to Ashes**

With the explosion of tablet and e-reading technology in the current market, one cannot help but wonder if the future is here. No more wasted trees and resources on those clunky old textbooks that we never opened, at long last the green revolution is here. With the digitization of textbooks and other traditional paper media we have are at long last making moves towards smarter more sustainable initiatives in the classroom. But not so fast, with the advent of e-readers a whole plethora of new challenges arise. For starters, unlike traditional books, e-books require electricity while accessing media from desktop computers requires even more energy. Second, textbooks are more or less recyclable, whereas tablets and e-readers require more effort to recycle successfully and are often times composed of materials that are highly toxic to the environment. Despite these shortcomings however Apple in particular has gone above and beyond the competition as far as more sustainable initiatives. For one, the new iPad 2 has a significantly lower carbon footprint than its predecessor indicating a genuine interest in reducing the environmental impacts of its products. Apple even goes so far as to detail every aspect of its products carbon footprint from production, to shipping, to consumer usage. In sharp contrast however and rather concerning are the practices of its competitors namely the Kindle by Amazon and the Nook by Barnes and Noble. Neither of these competitors has gone even as far as to disclose the carbon footprint of their models. This must change and the pressure must come from the consumer end. An emphasis must be made to ensure that the alternatives we pursue to traditional media are indeed a truly sustainable answer rather than another sustainability problem in disguise. That being said is e-book technology too early in its stages of development to be a feasible mass produced alternative to books?

At present? Yes. E-books simply have not reached maturity as far as technology to be a completely feasible replacement for traditional textbooks at least not yet. Until increased consumer and political pressure is placed on the existing big forerunners of the industry, we will simply be creating the illusion of a greener future. Once stable, effective recycling measures are put in place to recycle this large new influx of devices then perhaps many of the environmental consequences can be mitigated. Furthermore, existing consumer practices must change as well habits such as leaving devices plugged in when not in use do much more harm for the environment rather than good.

One interesting initiative in particular has been the recent efforts of California to begin replacing textbooks in schools with digital media. Though on paper this appears as a monumental and progressive approach to a greener future there are many flaws that have been overlooked. First off schools simply cannot afford to switch to more energy efficient devices such a e-readers on a larger scale and instead would be primarily relying on existing computing devices. These power hungry, bulky computers overall have a much more significant environmental impact than traditional paper methods. Secondly, public schools typically tend to teach directly out of the text book and tend to use the same book throughout the year, often for extended periods of time until entire new collections are purchased at once. The reuse of books year after year is still more sustainable than the possible energy costs of each student accessing necessary material on the web. A possibility however, would be the integration of e readers into campus settings. College kids typically must purchase a variety of different books which differ not from year to year but from semester to semester. In such cases especially in schools that already require laptop computers of students would e readers be potentially more useful.

As a whole, though very promising, e-booking technology is still in its pioneering stages and much more has to be figured out and tweaked before it truly becomes a more sustainable alternative to traditional textbooks. A combination of consumer pressure along with changes in consumer habits must be brought about before we can reap the benefits this technology has to offer. Furthermore pilot studies and initiatives in more realistic, smaller scale institutions such as colleges would perhaps offer us more insight on how to approach this new technology, a technology that has potential, but still has a long way to go.

Source Annotation: Heimbuch, Jaymi. "What's the Eco-Impact of California's Plan to Ditch School Textbooks for EBooks?" //TreeHugger//. Discovery, 9 June 2009. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .

2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? The source was written by Jaymi Heimbuch who is the technology editor of treehugger.com. She received her degree in English from the California Polytechnic State University.

3. What is the main topic or argument of the text? The argument centered around how the latest initiative in California to digitize traditional media within the classroom may be poorly planned and simply not feasible.

4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. The main argument is fleshed out by a variety of means. The article features testimony from teachers within California. It also features statistic on the expenses of the California Department of Education on books and other materials. It also features some analysis of the political climate within California that contributed to the passage of this bill.

5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? “We've weighed the pros and cons of  [|paper versus online reading for news] , and found that while the impacts fall in different areas, if you're reading online for more than 30 minutes, you might as well grab the paper.” “California says it spends between $75 and $100 per book for new texts. But what will the cost be for running enough computers all day long for kids to access the ebooks? ” “How will this impact students of schools in poorer areas, and students who don't have computers at home or have to share one with several siblings? ”

6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">My research was focused around whether or not e-books are truly a greener alternative to traditional books.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The switch is inevitable, but we're hoping the impact of energy use and e-waste are being carefully noted as states move forward with new technology. Do Digital Textbooks Beat Killing Trees? <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Not when they're read on a computer.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Source Annotation:

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ipad 2 Environmental Report //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Publication. Apple, 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://images.apple.com/environment/reports/docs/iPad_2_Environmental_Report.pdf>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The source was published by the Apple Corporation as a technical document.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. What is the main topic or argument of the text?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The text details the mission statement of Apple and the steps it has taken to mitigate the carbon footprint of the Ipad 2.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The document provides detailed graphs and charts of the composition of the product. It visually shows the carbon footprint of the Ipad in all phases of its lifespan. It details all the compounds that it has banned from the product.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Apple believes that improving the environmental performance of our business

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">starts with our products.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Apple’s ultracompact product and packaging designs lead the industry in material

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">efficiency. Reducing the material footprint of a product helps maximize shipping

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">efficiency.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Through ultra-efficient design and use of highly recyclable materials, Apple has

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">minimized material waste at the product’s end of life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The evidence presented supports the fact that though certain companies within the tablet and e-reader industry are taking steps to mitigate its environmental impact, other are not.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Total Greenhouse emissions from iPad 2: 105 kg

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mercury Free LED backlit display

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bibliography:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Eco-Libris | Ebooks vs. Paper Books: Which Is Greener?" //Eco-Libris: Plant a Tree for Every Book You Read//. 2010. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ecolibris.net/ebooks.asp>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Heimbuch, Jaymi. "What's the Eco-Impact of California's Plan to Ditch School Textbooks for EBooks?" //TreeHugger//. Discovery, 9 June 2009. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/whats-the-eco-impact-of-californias-plan-to-ditch-school-textbooks-for-ebooks.html>.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ipad 2 Environmental Report //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Publication. Apple, 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://images.apple.com/environment/reports/docs/iPad_2_Environmental_Report.pdf>.

Pictures Sources: Background: [] California Image: [] Kindle: [] Ipad 2: [] University: Clip Art