Monday, April 19, 2010

Transition from paper age to electronic age




Hey wake up paper, you have a debate with electronic today.
The debate starts in the classroom….

Electronics: Paper, you are going to be the history!

Paper: I don't think so, people still prefer me over you because they can hold on to me on their hand physically , and I won't run out of battery as you do . In addition, I have been here since civilization, who do you think you are ?

Electronics: I'm the new king, I would take over your position. I have a strong supporting group that back me up.

Paper : really ? Who are they ?

Electronics : there is new ipad, where people can read newspaper and magazine. Ipad is lightweight and can carry up to as many as hundreds of books. There is kindls Dx , an interface that student can use to read textbooks. Student no longer need to carry a heavy backpack. And there is Sony reader, another eBook reader with multiple function. Do you know early this year, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was promoting use of eBooks over paper textbook. And there are bunch of online website where people can read the eBooks for free.

Electronics: (sing) I dream a dream , dream of a future of paperless in university, I dream a dream , dream of future student does not have to carry heavy backpacks.
I dream a dream. Dream of less space being consumed in every home. I dream a dream , dream of helping people save time , save money , and save trees, and reduce environmental impact because paper industry produced lot of pollution, and emitted greenhouse gases. Lot of tree are cut down to make paper.

Paper: paper industry nowadays grow trees to make more of us. They do not cut down lot of tree as before.

Electronics: massive faster growing tree are grow to make more of you guys. Although they did not cut down existence forest now, but planting tree depleted the nutrient of soil and disrupted the ecosystem in the areas. Beside: make you produced lot of air and water pollution that destroy the balance of living organism in the river near the paper industry, and polluted air that detrimental to human health. You are still guilty in all way , you should be destroy, and replace by all me and my supporting groups members.

Paper: hey you , don't act like you are innocent , where do you comes from , you were made from industry and in the process of producing you , pollution were produced along the way as well. Don't you denial that fact.

Electronics: you are right , but the overall carbon footage that you produce per year is far more than my and all my brothers produce. Researcher has done study on the calculating the life cycle of you and me , they have found that you are the evil one, and you shall be removed from human society forever.

Paper: I will never be removed from human society. Remember that 30 years ago, when you "uncle " computer was born , everyone thought that your digital race will take over us. In fact 30 years past , we are still here, and we will continue to be here!

Electronics: Yes! The prediction is incorrect , but for the last couple year , your population has decrease dramatically because of us , don't you think so. And I strongly believe that you will vanish in the future someday. When new technology , even better technology are invented that can work just like you and maybe even better.

Paper: you guys can never work like me, I 'm flexible , I 'm stretchable , you can fold and put me in a pocket, and I'm affordable, and easy to use. And people are used to me , like read a printed book , they dislike electronic .

Electronics: That will be history too. In fact , our brother PDF file can scan any files and read it to the reader when reader gets tired of reading. And the eBook reader are capable of reader function as well , can you read to them , I bet you can not . Also, one note made by Microsoft word company are able to write just like you, we can start anywhere on the page And move text anywhere which you can not do. And OneNote has also the audio, video recording function , and much more.

Paper: I do realized that one note are taking over my "brother" notebooks mead. But some students are still loyal to my brother mead notebooks. They said they will not give up mead notebook, they have been a follower of notebook mead as long as they were able to write, and they are not going to leave him.

Electronics: don’t you make judgment so fast the old generation are not going to leave him , but the new generation are going to , just wait and see. Have you hear of the tablet pc , they are the new pop star in the university, and the students love him . Instead of carry 5 mead notebooks. Student only need to carry one tablet pc. They can write with pen , and if they get tired of writing , they can switch to typing. Didn't you hear that student's are saying lot of good thing about OneNote and tablet pc. Tablet pc is useful in the meeting as well, assistant can taking note with the hand writing pen, and then the writing can be convert to text, the assistant can then just email the meeting note to other staff, no need to retype the notes. Tablet pc will be the future of mead notebook and class note taking device.

Paper: really ? But do you think that everyone can afford to have him.

Electronics: you are right , not everyone can afford to have him , but soon they will. Do you remember the first time that big screen computer was available. it was very expensive and people can't afford to have it , but now every home in the US have at least one computer, perhaps more than more. The tablet will evolved just like the computer, it will become affordable soon that every student can afford one that they can bring to school for note taking , recorded lectures, and write their term paper, and do their homework . And school will also adopt my other supporting group brothers for textbook reading, soon paper textbook will not be made in the US, in this whole world . And then people will leave you aside and you will be forgotten eventually, you don't need to be made anymore. And eventually, You will vanish from this world

Paper: I do not think so , there is one more place that I can stay , and people still need me. Library , what is a library without books? Library have been quiet a while and it won't perish in one night , as long as library are here , I will continues to be here.

Electronics: you are right , library might be the only place in academic area that you can stay. But they won't be lot of you that can stay. Have you notice that the journals are all on school's database nowadays, and some book are converted to digital documents as well.

Paper: maybe you are right, but I don’t think I will be vanish from this world anytime soon. I will continues to service people as long as I am here. Perhaps enjoy the last few years here.

No comments:

Post a Comment