Seven Castles

Internet vs. Books

                                      

December 6, 2007

 

We are moving away from using books as sources of information these days. The library has a whole lot of them and most of them are rarely used. Many publishers have been moaning and groaning about "competition from the Internet", though all the book production is already digital, and that has saved publishers a lot of money, allowing for more books to be printed.

 

As in this day and age a child MUST have access to a computer in order to receive the necessary skills to be competitive in the job market, there are far too many kids out there today who are great with computer but their literary skills leave much to be desired.

 

Internet or books, what do you prefer?

 

Both have their pros and cons.

 

Internet has a wide range of information. It provides details of many websites on a single topic itself for your reference. So many perspectives help you out at times to see the other side of the coin or see the other side of the story. Some websites even offer facilities to contact experts on different topics. They can be contacted via phone or email. Internet is much easier, faster and more convenient. There is no hassle as getting time to go to library and searching books on the correct topic. You can acquire the latest information immediately (just a click away). You can highlight, copy and paste stuff that is important.

 

However, as anyone can put information up there you have to consider its reliability and accuracy, and it can get messy sometimes when the information is not correct or certified. Often it is difficult to determine how accurate or reliable it is. So you will end up looking at more sites, taking so long that you would just rather consult a book!

 

Books are actually more accurate, with reliable information, but after editing and printing, information may be out-dated. While the Internet does have a lot false and half-truth sites, most true academic sites probably are reviewed and updated frequently to ensure the information is correct. Books still have some advantages against the Internet, which is "jungle" and if you are not skilful with the Internet you may have a lot of problems to find right information you desire.

 

The two are not mutually exclusive, especially for children. Both are integral to early and later childhood development, facilitated through parental and educator guidance and encouragement. Many people like both, and they may use Internet first. Some people are partial to books even though they spend more time on computers due to their work.

【作者: zhangliping】【访问统计:】【2007年12月6日 星期四 05:24】【注册】【打印】