Papercut

By Wilson

I had a strange thought today.  My grandchildren may never know the pain of a paper cut.  Not because of jumps in the medical field in relieving pain.  It will be because they may not really use paper.  With ereaders, tablets, and online text books, they not need to use paper.  I love progress, but there is something about the weight of a book in your hand, turning the pages, dog earing the corners, and the smell of the ink on the page.  I worry they may miss out on that.

With grants, technology is the largest add to schools.  You are more likely to be able to get a grant to buy a computer cart full of tablets than a single trumpet (Smith).  With the needs of industry, industry is looking to get tech into the hands of students at younger ages.  Schools with all sized budgets are giving students computers to use for their time in school(Kelley).  When you figure out the cost of textbooks, printing worksheets and the ease of grading, who wouldn’t?  Hand in your work, have it graded and put in the grade book in seconds.  Out of school sick?  Your work is right there on your computer along with online help and the ability message your teacher as well as hand in your work. The computers last about as long as a textbook does. With paper textbooks becoming outdated the day they are bought, computerized books can be updated by the publishers daily. Not that they are going to, but it is possible.

I personally addicted to audiobooks.  It allows me to do two things are one time.  As I’m word processing this, (note I said word processing, not typewriting) I’m listening to a novel.  I can wash dishes, do laundry, or draw and enjoy a book at the same time.  You know how you hate to leave home when watching your favorite show, even if it’s tivoed.   It doesn’t bother me.  I put my ear bud in, and walk out the door with my smartphone.  Granted I could watch a show on my phone, but I couldn’t drive and watch a show but I can listen to my stories.

Drawing is a passion of mine but I HATE easer marks, or little gray smears.  In fact I’m tend to be of the Ansel Adams school of thought, true blacks and true whites.  I end up scanning my work and cleaning any mark with my computer.  While I do occasionally draw or paint on my tablet, but I’m a little old school, drawing with pencil on paper, then inking it after.  I took classes in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and even Quark when they were new start up classes in my local college but I still find comfort with lead on paper even if I end up going through the hassle of scanning and cleaning my work pixel by pixel.  I laugh at the coloring books online.  Is it really coloring if you just pick a color and bucket fill an area?

So yes, my grandchildren may never get a papercut.  Carpel tunnel?  Yes.  Neck aches from looking down?  Yes.  The ability to scan a room for plugs in seconds to hook up to the juice that runs our tech? (Quora)  Yes, definitely.  Skyping with grandma?  Just as soon as they teach me how to skype.  I only hope they do read the real books that they great from me instead of using them to hold up their tablets.

Works Cited
Kelley, Jeremy P. 13, August 2015.  School Give Students Computers in Order to Boost Learning http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/news/schools-give-students-computers-in-order-to-boost-/nnJwX/ Accessed 4, November 2016.

Shoshany, Steven.  6, November 2015.  A Modern Spine Ailment: Text Neck http://www.spine-health.com/blog/modern-spine-ailment-text-neck Accessed 4, November 2016

Smith, Megan. 30, January 2016.  Computer Science For All. https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/01/30/computer-science-all.  Accessed 4, November 2016.
Quora, What are the best cafes with abundant electrical outlets and free Wi-Fi in San Francisco?

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-cafes-with-abundant-electrical-outlets-and-free-Wi-Fi-in-San-Francisco Accessed 4, November 2016