I just wonder if learning by reading from a book is different than from a tablet/computer

[Leme]

It has been decades since high school, so I can only remember some of the learning experience from that time. I have done post high school education every decade for a year or so for the last few decades. I prefer books for most learning that I have done, although for some things the computer was equal or superior.
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For me, I find reading and classes that have texts online a little less satisfying in some ways.
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I can't tell how much is there for one thing. That bothers me some.
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With a hard copy book, the task is tangible, not subject to unlimited links... unless one chooses to view footnotes or go to related topics contained in the hard copy book. But with hard copy the task (enjoyed or not) is basically right in front of you.
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With tablet /computer learning, there is no tangible, discrete visible amount. And it provides an instant search feature often. And instant unlimited connectivity in cases... which can be a distraction.
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Am I making sense in differentiating these two methods of learning?
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An example might be learning math and numbers the old fashioned way with pencil and paper versus using a calculator.
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It just seems a different learning experience.
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thank you for your time.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. I see you point about a "tangible task" w/ paper books.

Keep in mind, though, that most reader apps allow for a sidebar that shows thumbnails of individual pages. I've found that, with the pages sidebar enabled, it "feels" more like a book to me (I can see the previous and subsequent pages).

[Moliere]

2. Not sure about reading but...

... There's data coming out supporting the advantage of writing over typing. I can definitely attest to this from my own experiences. I know it's not apples to apples but thought it'd interest you

http://www.salon.com/2014/06/04/study_tip_dont_take_notes_with_a_laptop_partner/

[Leme]

4. yes, thanks for link

from link:
Mueller and Oppenheimer postulate that taking notes by hand requires different types of cognitive processing than taking notes on a laptop, and these different processes have consequences for learning.
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definitely part of what I am thinking about, thanks for link

[exboyfil]

3. You are correct

Both of my daughters prefer hard copy books to tablet driven books. My younger daughter even feels that her learning is better with the whiteboard than Powerpoint for lectures. For engineering problems a book is still the best way to go. That way you can look back at example solutions without being guided to a specific example solution (like certain problem software currently does). Understanding which examples apply is a big of the learning experience.

I even find the actual physical book is more satisfying for a History class than an IPAD book. My daughter is currently taking a History course in which she is reading the earlier edition of the textbook and I am reading the current edition on the IPAD. The electronic books main advantage is its word search feature.

Scientific American has an article about the difference in learning between an electronic book and a physical book. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/

[Leme]

6. thanks

from link I found this is what I am trying to grapple with:

In most cases, paper books have more obvious topography than onscreen text. An open paperback presents a reader with two clearly defined domains—the left and right pages—and a total of eight corners with which to orient oneself. A reader can focus on a single page of a paper book without losing sight of the whole text: one can see where the book begins and ends and where one page is in relation to those borders. One can even feel the thickness of the pages read in one hand and pages to be read in the other. Turning the pages of a paper book is like leaving one footprint after another on the trail—there's a rhythm to it and a visible record of how far one has traveled. All these features not only make text in a paper book easily navigable, they also make it easier to form a coherent mental map of the text.
and this:

Psychologists distinguish between remembering something—which is to recall a piece of information along with contextual details, such as where, when and how one learned it—and knowing something, which is feeling that something is true without remembering how one learned the information. Generally, remembering is a weaker form of memory that is likely to fade unless it is converted into more stable, long-term memory that is "known" from then on. When taking the quiz, volunteers who had read study material on a monitor relied much more on remembering than on knowing, whereas students who read on paper depended equally on remembering and knowing. Garland and her colleagues think that students who read on paper learned the study material more thoroughly more quickly; they did not have to spend a lot of time searching their minds for information from the text, trying to trigger the right memory—they often just knew the answers.

much more there also... thanks for the link

[Sancho]

5. It's not the medium but the content that improves learning...

either paper or tablet can use programmed instruction, references or links, provocative material, visual clues, or simply be well-written. The tablet has more potential for diagnostic and interactive learning, but that can be achieved with printed word alone. There have been plenty of books written with advanced organizers, illustrations, references, practice questions, indexes, and excellent organization. There are also lots of awful books (as we all know!).

The tablet also is capable of powerful simulation and audio visual examples. Maybe you could watch a scene from Shakespeare acted out in two different ways to see how acting makes a difference. That's hard to do in a book, but could be part of a class after everyone had read the book.

You may emotionally prefer one over the other (why not scrolls or clay tablets?) because of your experience and comfort, but if the material is appropriate for the learner, well-written, and accompanied by a good teacher (in most cases), the learner can use many different expressions of written word.

One theory of hand-writing and reading traditional books is simply that it slows you down so that you can pay attention, but likely no method of reading and writing is going to prove better than others in the long run. We've had dictation for centuries (maybe the Bible?). Even oral versions can be as intellectually complex as putting pen to paper. Even today court rooms, doctors, and executives use dictation, except more likely we are going to voice recognition so that even typing will be obsolete.

[elleng]

7. Not directly responsive,

but this is how my daughters learned to read, by writing their own books!

https://www.facebook.com/lowellschooldc/posts/870338762980326


Obviously just part of the process, but we all loved it, and still have some of their books, even tho they are 26 and 29 now, with babes of their own.