Professor Steven Krashen on why books are important, and why e-readers are just approximations of the real thing

Professor Steven Krashen on why books are important, and why e-readers are just approximations of the real thing

In a recent comment at Huffington Post, Dr Krashen noted:

"Let me recommend another device for reading: It is random-access, highly portable, requires only natural, easily available energy, and is simple to use. You don't have to shut it down when the airline people tell you to turn off your electronic devices and put your tray table up.

These devices are already commercially available and can, in fact, be borrowed for free. They last for decades, even centuries, and no arbitrary changes are planned for the future. When using this device you don't have to call for help to find the right command when the screen goes blank or freezes, or get a new equipment every few months because your electronic reader is now obsolete and your electronic books unusable on the new readers.

The device is, of course, the book and its close relatives, the magazine, the comic book, and the graphic novel. Someday, electronic books will undoubtedly replace the book, but so far none of them has all the advantages of the book. Right now, they are only androids, approximations of the real thing."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-haber/the-future-of-reading-lea_b_330523.html