A (lack of) future for books?

2008 looks like it might be the year for seriously debating the future of books.

With your degree subjects, you’ll still be used to buying textbooks, using the library for quotes, all sorts of things to do with physical books.

But when was the last time you read a book from cover to cover?  When did you last read a book for pleasure?  Are you a keen devourer of novels?  Has the state of publishing changed now that so much free information is available on the web?

When you take a blog like this one, where the advice offered is (hopefully) helpful and free of charge, there’s less chance that you’d feel as much need to seek out similar information in books.

When you multiply that situation many times – and I’m sure many of you read several academic productivity blogs – there’s even less need to consult the printed tomes available.

Then there’s the web in general, with zillions of words to read.  Magazines and newspapers are also competing for our time.  As are non-physical e-books.  Of course, you’ve got other forms of entertainment that don’t even require much reading.  There’s so much more around us that takes us away from the desire of reading a good book.

This is a real shame.  Books are important.  Both fact and fiction books have their place, but they’re slowly being shut out.

To be fair, even I read fewer books than I used to.  But considering how many books I enjoyed in the past, even reducing that number by half would keep me within the realms of a bookworm!

It’s not to say that new technologies don’t have a place.  And it’s not to say that the concept of ‘books’ shouldn’t be evolving.  We’ve seen the concept of ‘music’ evolving to the point where the market is still in a confused daze.

But for me it all boils down to one thing…you can’t smell the freshness of a new blog post.  But I’m sure you can tell the quality of a book from how good it smells…

What is a university?

Asking the question “What is a university?” is similar to asking “What is a restaurant?”

You can give a vague answer, but it’s only tapping the surface.

On Wikipedia, the first paragraph on the word ‘Restaurant’ is:

“A restaurant is a retail establishment that serves prepared food to customers. Service is generally for eating on premises, though the term has been used to describe take-out establishments and food delivery services. The term covers many types of venues and a diversity of styles of cuisine and service.”

So the term is used loosely, it covers a number of situations, and it refers to many different types of food and service.

A university is similar. We know it’s a place of study for all types of Higher Education, but where do you go from there?

The basic concept is fine, but it’s such a wide-ranging term that you’d have difficulty getting much further without breaking into the specifics regarding individual universities.

So I guess the only good answer to “What is a university?” is a subjective one.  So let me ask…what is a university to you? What is your experience and how do you understand the concept to work best?

Helicopter Parents Need to Fly Away

Any loving parent would never want to disadvantage their child.  Far from it.  They would want to make sure the very best is coming their son or daughter’s way.

Helicopter Parents – those mums and dads who hover over everything to do with their child’s education – obviously want the best, but it’s likely to result in the opposite.

An article in The Guardian on January 2 caught my attention, because it seems that Helicopter Parents are now going further by embracing the job market for their kids.  They’ll be researching, attending careers fairs, getting involved with negotiations, you name it.

Oh dear.

I still remember eager parents taking the reigns in question and answer sessions at universities when I was visiting different institutions that I wanted to apply to.  I went along with my dad to each place, but he acted only as an observer.  In fact, in one presentation, he fell asleep and started snoring.  I had to give him a dig in the ribs to wake him up!

When I asked for help, I would receive it…so long as it was possible and reasonable.  But most of the time I had a lot of independence, which allowed me to learn for myself, as well as find my own voice.  I’m thankful for that.

If parents are surveying every move of their (now adult) children and getting too involved in choices, it doesn’t bode well.  How can that person’s confidence build up effectively?  And when will they get to hear their own voice?

Parents may say, “It’s what I would have wanted if I had the chance,” but is it what YOU want?

Watch Out For Mindful Ink

Yes, it’s back and the world is a better place for it.

If there’s one EduLink you should go to today, it’s:

Mindful Ink

Previously known as Scholastici.us, Gideon’s blog is another essential place to bookmark and subscribe to for academic related advice, links, and news.

For those of you who hadn’t frequented the old site, I’ve got a few posts linked from the archives.

For those of you who were well aware of the site, let’s celebrate now that Gideon is back, with his Mindful Ink!

Three great reads from the archive

  1. The Full System: Note Taking, Scheduling, and Studying
  2. On Reading
  3. Weeks of Hell: How to Get Through Them by Preparing Ahead