Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Blog Entry #5: Education Technology Political Cartoon Analysis





http://www.cagle.com/2012/11/book-vs-e-book-reader/#.UV-Nw6sjo08



What educational policy issue is this political cartoon about?


National Education Technology Plan and the push for using emerging technologies to foster 21st century learning. (Traditional books vs. e-books)


What is the purpose of the cartoon (why did the artist create it?)

I feel as if the purpose of this cartoon is to emphasize the sentimental feeling many people will always have toward reading a traditional book. The fact that the book is face down on the ground saying, "are you able to do the splits?" seems to show that it is trying everything it can to be better than the e-book because it is obvious eBooks are a growing trend with all they have to offer.


What techniques did the artist use to draw your attention (refer to the cartoon analysis guide from our classroom activity)?


The book is in color, seems to be quite a bit larger than the e-book, and has a pretty big caption above it, which draws your attention to it. The word, nostalgia, on the book relates to a sentimentality for the past. The fact that the iPad is sitting upright and an e-book is shown draws your attention to the fact that the traditional book has been placed face down and is a thing of the past.


What is the opinion of the artist?

From my point of view, the artist seems to have that sentimental feeling toward traditional books or feels as if many people still do. However, the artist seems to realize that no matter how hard the book tries to show off, it is becoming part of the past as e-books make their way into the classrooms.


According to the artist, who benefits and who is negatively impacted by this policy?


This artist seems to agree that e-books are benefitting In relation to the National Technology Plan and the push for e-learning. The use of traditional paper books in schools is being negatively impacted.


What opinions do others have on this issue?

According to a site Kara showed me in our PLC group a couple weeks ago, there are many pros and cons for both, e-books and paper books. According to pro-con.org...

In Nov. 2010, the US Department of Education released its National Education Technology Plan, a detailed blueprint on how schools can improve learning with technology. Among its recommendations is to leverage mobile devices ("the technology students already have") in the classroom. In his Jan. 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama said, "I want all students to be able to learn from digital textbooks." On Feb. 1, 2012, the US Department of Education and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in collaboration with several tech organizations, released a downloadable "Digital Textbook Playbook" to "encourage collaboration, accelerate the development of digital textbooks and improve the quality and penetration of digital learning in K-12 public education."

Therefore, our national government definitely seems to support progress. They seem to want to move away from the paper books of the past and encourage e-learning and the use of e-books


Did you find this cartoon persuasive? Why or why not?

From my understanding of this cartoon and the message I got from it, I did not find it to be persuasive. Yes, there will always be a nostalgia about paper books. We used them for so long and it is difficult for many people to imagine that something better could take its place. Regardless of the sentimental value of paper books, e-books and e-textbooks have so much more media and multisensory learning support to offer.


What do you think is omitted or missing from the cartoon?

I think it would be interesting if the cartoon included a response from the e-book.


What questions do you have about the issue that the cartoon does not answer?

If there had been a response from the e-book, the artist would have painted a clearer picture of his opinion on the topic. I feel as if the way he left it allows for a a few different interpretations.


Sources:
"Book vs e Book reader by Political Cartoonist Frederick Deligne." Cagle.com Political Cartoons. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. <http://www.cagle.com/2012/11/book-vs-e-book-reader/#.UV-Nw6sjo08>.


"Tablets vs. Textbooks." ProCon.org. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. <http://tablets-textbooks.procon.org/>.








6 comments:

  1. I thought this was a great cartoon and a great look on the ebooks vs textbooks debate. Great analysis

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  2. This was a great cartoon to pick (I wish i would have found it first.lol) But I agree with you that the artist is favoring the old textbooks and that they are still useful. I personally would rather have my students using textbooks like they always have and put the money for the digital books towards other technological advances for my classroom. On another note, this was a great analysis on the cartoon and the true meaning behind it!

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  3. "Nostalgia..." I like the title of the book, because for most of us, that's what books are. I was waiting for "But I smell like old paper," too..which is something that I often hear. But the reality is this: eBooks are getting cheaper, the books may cost the same or may be a little more expensive, but they are reliable and if the technology fails, replace the eBook and the books are backed up to the cloud. I did, however, find it to be a bit persuasive. "The Book" tried its hardest to get you to believe it was the best one. But, the cartoonist wants you to see that the book is pulling the last stitch effort to win.

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  4. I think this was an excellent cartoon choice. I know I personally can't concentrate when reading an ebook. I let myself get too distracted by everything else that I can access on my computer. Anyways, it definitely shows that the textbook is still trying to hang on. I think the textbook/ebook argument is something we'll see for a while.

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  5. Great cartoon! I will have to share this with my school library friends.

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