The written word remains an extremely effective way of communicating. We read text at approximately the same speed as we listen and absorb a spoken narrative or description. It works well and we are comfortable with it.
Since the printing press was invented we have had hard copy books to read and libraries and booksellers to access them. Since personal computing and, latterly, tablet computers became commonly used digital versions of those books have been made available for download or viewing online.
In my view e-books are going to grow in usage in education. The ability to download, store and read digital documents on iPads and similar mobile devices means that students can access a wide range of resources anywhere without the need to visit a library or to carry around a pile of books.
Publishers are recognising this new way of reading and are creating new business models and ways of operating as a result. Libraries are reconsidering their ways of servicing the needs of readers for the same reason.
The series of postings on the RSC Wales blog on this subject is very useful for the education community and provides a number of links to resources. In particular it points to sources of freely available e-books that would be of value to students, staff and, because of the cost saving, to institutions. The blog post with these links is shown below:
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