VOLUME

 LAST:  ISSUE  FINAL    

OBSOLETER    
Proving  Print  Base  Media  is  Becoming  Obsolete  
       TUESDAY,  MAY  3,  2011          THEOBSOLETER.COM  

Viewpoint:  Future  
Technology  at  Notre   Growth  of  E-­‐Print  
of  Education  System    
 By: CARMEL O’BRIEN AND
1
       Dame     2   ALEX YANEY AND EMILY ADAMS
By:

NOTRE DAME, IN-- Numbers and statistics

JAMES DOWSETT abound that point to the immense growth of e-
By: MATTHEW KONKEY, reading in today’s society. Due in large part to the
streamlining and ease of both the Amazon Kindle
NOTRE DAME, IN -- What will the future VINCENT MOORE, AND
hold for our education system? Will our and the Apple iPad, print is shifting from a solely
LINDSAY POWELL
relationship with print-based texts move physical book form to the form of the
towards digital? Will schools accommodate NOTRE DAME, IN – Colleges and future. Amazon customers now purchase more
this trend, especially with their rising taxes universities nationwide have learned to Kindle books than hardcover books. This is
and shrinking budgets? These are the embrace recent advancements in technology, astonishing when you consider that they have been
and the University of Notre Dame is no selling hardcover books for about 12 years longer
questions that need to be asked as we enter different. Notre Dame has responded
the School of the Future. With the rise of Photo  by  M ackenzie  Kraft  
than Kindle books3. For example, over the past
relatively well to technological advancements
technology and the decline in print, textbook and has actually taken steps to integrate three months, for every 100 hardcover books
publishers are acknowledging a preference for technology into the core of its liberal arts Amazon has sold, it has sold 143 Kindle
electronic textbooks and online articles. curriculum. Of Notre Dame’s most recent
accomplishments, the most significant
“Future  Domers   books. Last month in particular, 180 Kindle books
were sold for every 100 physical books4. The
Jeffrey Ho, product manager of popular
includes the addition of two new high-tech modern development of digital print allows
publishing company McGraw-Hill
Education, said, “Right now, digital products
classrooms furnished with 60 inch monitors [would]  one  day  go  to   customers to access and store thousands of books
on each of the rooms’ four white board walls.
account for a small percent of our higher on their e-readers that were previously distributed
education business, but it is growing at a rate
Each of these monitors is connected to a
multi-boot computer that allows students and the  bookstore  and  pick   in traditional, cumbersome print.
that is breathtaking…” At this rate, schools, professors to easily interact with each other Amazon Inc. announced in 2009 that the
such as Northwestern, will eliminate bound and with multimedia content. Also, during
the 2010-11 school year, Notre Dame
up  an  iPad  that’s  been   Kindle had become its most gifted item. In fact,
books and the business of printed book will Christmas Day of that year was the first time in
launched a pilot program that granted
be unnecessary in three years. This change
would present many benefits to the students.
students enrolled in certain courses access to loaded  with  all  their   history that Amazon customers purchased more
Kindle books than physical ones5. In related news,
Apple iPad’s. Overall, students and professors
For example, the students will no longer have iPad users downloaded more than 5 million e-
course  readings.”  
involved in the pilot program enjoyed the
to lug many heavy books across college experience and found that it provided a new books in the first 65 days after it debuted. The
campuses, thus preventing back injury in old and innovative way for students and increased use of e-books has encouraged people to
professors alike to communicate and read more as a whole6. In fact, 53% of surveyed
age. Also, a textbook free campus would save collaborate. In addition to these new way that students buy textbooks. In a recent
students and the university a lot of money customers reported that they now read more with
technologies, laptops, projectors, and article published in the Notre Dame
that could be spent elsewhere. Without projection screens are present in most Magazine, OIT officials imagined a world their e-readers than they did previously without
spending $800,000 a year to keep book classrooms. Many courses also utilize online where “future Domers [would] one day go to them7.
inventory, a university could save up to resources such as Concourse and Gmail to the bookstore and pick up an iPad that’s been The sleek design, ease of use and wide
$400,000 a year. deliver and collect certain readings and loaded with all their course readings.” Though advertisement of both the Kindle and the iPad
assignments. Also, all students and faculty are this may initially seem like a wild idea, the combine with the high dependability of both
The future of Textbooks could be saved if connected in real-time through listserv, the benefits of its cost and convenience, along
publishers and authors take certain steps to Amazon and Apple to make two distinct products
university-wide email system. with Notre Dame’s positive history with
correct the flaws that have been exposed by Clearly, Notre Dame is well wired, both technology makes this a definite with outstanding marketing success. The
these advanced methods. Without the within and outside of the University, and has possibility. As technology continues to grow companies’ great success has led to a movement
willingness to make these changes, then the been proactive in keeping up with major in today’s society, its benefits have also towards more advanced print forms both inside
transformation to digital sources seems only technology changes. But the Office of become more prevalent and valuable and outside the academic setting.
Information Technology at Notre Dame sees throughout the Notre Dame academic
logical. an opportunity for even more advancement. community.
See  ONLINE   Specifically, they predict vast changes in the
See  ONLINE   See  ONLINE  

Education in Remediation 8

By COLTON ANDREWS, MACKENZIE students print out their readings is for educational
purposes, such as writing in the margins or highlighting
KRAFT, AND MICHAEL KRAFT
important phrases so as to prepare for future tests and
NOTRE DAME, IN -- Shocking data recently surprised examinations. However, in the real world, readings for
the University of Notre Dame after a survey showed that “homework” will not be as abundant, and strict
Notre Dame students prefer to read print based media, memorization will not be as necessary. Technology is
even during this digital age. Can print based reading readily available to aid in all aspects of the workplace,
actually become outdated when it is still preferred by a both for the simplicity which technology brings and for
group as young as college students in the year 2011? Or is the green movement across America. Thus, while print
Notre Dame behind in regards to technology? based media may not be becoming obsolete in the
In this survey, most students responded that they educational field, outside those walls one can see the
remediation happening. Laptops and tablets are quickly iSchools are a great example to show how the
actually prefer to read books and articles in print rather educational world is making students realize the
than online or on an e-reader. However, one must look at taking the place of pens and paper in hospitals,
restaurants, businesses, homes, etc. And while these importance of understanding how to use and find
the amount that these students are using online sources as information in this new technology based world.
well. Although most students still prefer to print out their students still prefer to do their work in print, they are
assigned readings for class, non-reading assignments are being prepared for this world with the vast amount of
assignments being completed and assigned online.
See  ONLINE  
evenly done both online and on print. The reason most

Sources:  
1. Sentinel, The. "Future of School Textbooks Written in Cyberspace." The Sentinel. 27 Jan. 2009. Web. 01 May 2011. 5. "Amazon Kindle Is the Most Gifted Item Ever on Amazon.com." Amazon.com. Amazon.com, Inc., 26 Dec. 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.  
2. Sullivan, Maura K. "Campus Crash-tests the Cutting Edge." Notre Dame Magazine Winter 2010. Winter 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2011.       6. Jobs, Steve. "Steve Jobs on iPad iBooks: 5 Million eBooks Downloaded in 65 Days, Now Reads PDFs - TNW Apple." The Next Web | The Next Web - TNW is the International
3. Galante, Joseph. "Amazon.com E-Book Sales Exceed Hardcovers for First Time - Bloomberg." Bloomberg - Business & Financial News, Breaking News Headlines. Source for Internet News, Business and Culture.. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.  
Bloomberg.com, 19 July 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.   7. Maselli, Christopher P. N. "Statistics about Ebooks, Reading, the Amazon Kindle and the Apple IPad." Christopher P. N. Maselli. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.  
4. Miller, Claire C. "E-Books Top Hardcovers at Amazon." NewYorkTimes.com. 19 July 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.   8. Kraft, et al. “FYC Survey.” Survey. 21 Apr. 2011.