The Death of Books?

Much has been written about the importance of technology in today's world and in education in particular. There is little doubt that almost everything we do has been transformed by computers, the internet, and myriad other technologies. And this is certainly the case in schools. Just this year, EFS has added 9 new interactive SMART Boards – bringing us up to 14 total – that enable our teachers to capitalize on our students’ energy and creativity. The children love it! In fact, they look forward to any opportunity to use technology in the classroom, and our teachers are constantly on the lookout for ways to leverage technology to enhance our curriculum. By any measure, ours is truly a “wired” environment.

While there are many benefits to engaging young people through the use of technology, there are inevitable trade-offs. Learning proper keyboarding comes at the expense of practicing handwriting; gross motor skills suffer as children play more video/computer games and spend less time playing outside; Google searches and Wikipedia become preferred sources for any inquiry over encyclopedias, books, or other “off-line” reference materials; ability to multitask – watch a teenager manage Facebook, TV, iPod, instant messaging, texting, AND homework all at once – may negatively affect the ability to focus on a single task for an extended period of time; leisure reading – a reliable predictor of academic success – has decreased as online time has increased.

Most of us have fully embraced the benefits of technology at work and at home – I know I can’t go to the store for a gallon of milk without my iPhone. When we take the time to think about it, however, we might also agree that we’ve lost something in terms of human interaction and civility, not to mention reading and writing, with the rise of email, texting, and surfing the internet. So with technology being so important to the young, can you imagine EFS doing away entirely with the library and its 16,000 volumes? One prominent independent school in Massachusetts is doing just that. In a recent Boston Globe article, Cushing Academy is highlighted for closing its library in favor of a “learning center” and fully embracing the power of technology to meet its students’ needs. Is this the future for schools? Are those who cling to traditional books just like those who believed the automobile would never replace the horse? You be the judge.