As I began to prepare to blog this week I have no inclination to walk over to the public library or to take the long bus ride (or drive) to the Elizabeth Dafoe Library (apparently the largest of the libraries located at the University of Manitoba campus).
To be honest my first thought was to search various online referatories, including the University of Manitoba Libraries, as I looked for something creative and response engendering to write briefly about (related to the topic of Open Educational Resources). My second thought was to email my instructor (who I know had done research on related topics) and request any recommendations for quality papers which might “shine a light” on what I intend to argue this week (The Networked Learner?).
My initial search led me to an article written by Luis Alfonso Arguello Guzman entitled: “University Students’ Digital Reading and Writing Migration.” In this section Guzman states that students’ minds are not connected to the print culture and are instead connected to “surfing, searching and browsing networks (206).”
Guzman continues to discuss that the readers of university text(s) will not become obsolete but that students reading practices are now: “decentered and replaced by the on-screen browsing of web pages (212).”
While I must conduct further research to support these ideas, I begin to wonder if this shift would prove to benefit to the environment or further endanger it.
This “shift” seems to foster a learning environment that would welcome the use of OERs in learning institutes. Let us say that the initiatives promoting Open Education Resources gain a larger following within the next five years. If online resources replaced textbooks would this save valuable natural resources and reduce carbon emissions?
A “first order effect” (direct effect) on the sustainability of our environment by Information and Communication Technologies is described in an article published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (authored by: David Souter, Don MacLean, Ben Okoh, and Heather Creech).
The effects of ICTs on the environment are described as both: “strong and negative (page 13).” The contribution by ICTs to greenhouse gas emissions will grow from what it presently is at, 2-3%, to 6% by 2020 (page 13).
While eliminating paper-based books and learning material, I assume simply put, would save some trees. However, the implications of switching to digital-based learning materials are noticeable, for example, the short life span of most ICT equipment (page 30).
Energy used by at home by a student taking an online course may surmount the amount of energy he or she might have used had they gone to a common area (such as a university or public library) and studied using paper-based learning material. The concept is explored on page 14 and is described in the article as a third order effect of ICTs on the environment.
The Gutenberg Project, in my opinion, is an initiative that can link digital natives to the print culture and in a way that is easily relatable. As I put in this final thought I am reminded of an acquaintance that informed me that she had just been to the library and carried 10 books home for work on her essay.
Perhaps the print culture will continue to thrive…but as for the effects on the environment I need to delve deeper.
Hi Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteI think you rightly point out the complex effects of paper-versus-digital in thinking about educational resources. I'll add one example, too, from my experience in educational publishing.
If textbook publishers are putting more of their materials online, and some textbooks are getting a bit shorter (or will be...the one I'm working on now has a 2015 copyright), that seems like a good thing: less paper, as you say. But behind the scenes at textbook publishers is an enormous--truly astounding--amount of paper. Each textbook page goes through at least four proofing cycles (many times more), in which the page is printed out and marked up by copyeditors and fact checkers, editors, senior editors, art and design managers, and so on. So you figure a 300 page textbook has generated at least, in a very conservative estimate, 1200 pages to create it.
The same is true for online resources that come out of this system. Each "page" of online material goes through the same production process. It doesn't end up generating the final product of 300 pages times the number of books...but it still generates at least three sets of paper for every "page" online.
Publishers and commercial printers are now very careful to recycle--at least the few I have worked for--and are actively looking for ways to reduce their use. Still, it's a *lot* of paper.
Best,
Leah
Jonathan, After reading your post, some thoughts that come to mind include the habits and preferences of digital natives. In the documentary, Digital Nation, created by PBS Douglas Rushkoff and Rachel Dretzin, present research that says that digital natives will not read novels or texts greater than 200 pages. They also provide examples about the brick and mortar schools that are empty and the content and learning is taking place online. This speaks to your post of OER being green.
ReplyDeleteThe province of Manitoba offers online courses to high school students through their school divisions. A few years ago, an informal study was done asking students if they printed the materials in their online courses. Teen age students (grades 10 - 12) printed little or no content while students taking these courses but who were adults and attending adult learning centres printed most or all of the content. The teens were not concerned about not having access to the content when the course was completed and their account was closed while the adults wanted to hold on to all of the content and keep it indefinitely when they would not longer have access to their course online.
We have different values at different ages. Digital natives do not find it an issue if content is not in hard copy format. Perhaps, we the digital immigrants need to assess what and how much we actually print and for what purpose. Is it just for the sake of having the paper or do we actually use it in the future? How many boxes do we have stored away with textbooks that we haven't opened in years?
Thanks Jonathan!
Eva
Interesting post and comments you received on your blog on greening OER. I find it very fascinating how you are able to link OER to environmental sustainability. What you describe is the beginning of further exploration on the environmental friendliness of online resources, and whether or not the drive towards OER is indeed "friendly". Does the mere fact that books can be recycled surpass the value of digital copies? Great post!
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