Discussion Point 5 + Course Reflection - Micaela Alcaino

I think we will always have print lingering in our world. I think that people will always want something that is tangible and printed, something to flick through the pages rather than swipe the ipad with your finger. I do believe that global networks have paved a way for online publication which gives access to a larger demographic. But I dont think print will become obsolete. Aspects of print will change, and some areas diminished, but it wont die out. 

Shifts in simple areas such as school texbooks are now becoming purely digital, according to Bloombery business week "Using digital textbooks, schools can save money on hard copies and get updated material to students more quickly."But problems do arise such as lack of fast broadband, "many districts [in the US], already buckling from diminished budgets, don't have the bandwidth or the equipment to make digital materials available to every student. That's created a new challenge for the educational publishing industry as it works to market products to district across the technological spectrum."1

As for the Oxford dictionary, it looks like new editions will not be printed, rather purely online, according to The Telegraph "“The print dictionary market is just disappearing, it is falling away by tens of per cent a year,” Nigel Portwood, the chief executive of Oxford University Press."2 According to Bill Gates the yellow pages is also on the road of extinction. 3

I think that many areas such as information research will become obsolete in print, as most are now turning to online research to access information. Why? because its easy to access, its up to date, and a lot of the time, its free. According to Hightalk.net "traditional media’s old channels – print and broadcast – are floundering, their online properties are thriving.  In fact, I’d argue that the influence of traditional media outlets like the New York Times and CNN are greater than ever."4

For education purposes I do understand the positive effect it can have on the students and teachers, also saving school kids a heavy school bag filled with books, everything is easily accessible, seen on videos via a link, with interactive feedback. But in terms of printing and publication I think that all artists and designers seek the physical, something to admire, something tangible, than purely on screen. I know that recently I just printed a coffee table book with all my photographs for my major work this year, and to see a physical print of it made me excited and allowed me to see the finer detail as a whole, rather than just zooming up on screen. So e-books is defiantly a trend at the moment, and a lasting trend, but it wont mean the death of print. 

References:

1    http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-10-02/education-chief-wants-textbooks-to-become-obsolete

2 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/7970391/Oxford-English-Dictionary-will-not-be-printed-again.html

3     http://maryloudriedger2.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/obsolete-things/

4     http://hightalk.net/2010/12/20/traditional-media-becoming-obsolete-not-the-media-itself/

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COURSE REFLECTION

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I think that the course was successful in starting off with analogue learning. I think playing with and using the letterpress brought a focus on understanding the relationship between the letters, consideration on placement and paper choice as well as the use of negative and positive space. 

The second project also was good in terms of learning to work collaboratively as a class aswell as a group, as thats what would happen in real circumstances in publishing an online magazine. But I think it could have been a bit better organised as there was trouble with getting people on the communal drop box and as well as people deleting things off the drop box. 

I do think it was a little tricky to understand the aim of both projects just by reading the course outline and project descriptions, it was a bit vague and ambiguous, Until it was further explained by Lauren and discussed as a group.

As well as the blog, it would have been nice to get notifications when Lauren posted on it as well as Ian, because I had missed some of her posts. But all in all an enjoyable class.