Are books or computers better for learning?
Books
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computers
Side Score: 250
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When I'm learning, I find that the internet generally provides me with a good broad-brush overview of a topic, but is usually incapable of helping me dig deeply into a particular topic. A book demands patience and effort, but rewards me with the depth that can only come from careful and intensive study and reflection. If I had to choose between books and the internet, there would be no contest. I'll take my books. Side: Books
Neither is better as without a human teacher and some decent advice your not going to learn anything. Technically books are more able as you need no power to read them and most are supervised works. A computer allows any idiot to post anything and call it fact. Plus computers have quite a bit of problems on their own. virii, crashes, etc. Side: Books
most people say that computers are better for learning because they have more options as to what you can do with them versus an ordinary text book. but what about the children who dont have access to a computer at home? sure computers are a great technological advance, but can they really out-do a normal text book? computers can be difficult to understand and even more difficult to use. they can be broken and fail resulting in information loss. books are much simpler because all you have to do is turn a page. im not saying computers are bad by any means, im simply stating that for educational purposes, books may have the upper hand due to thier reliability. Side: Books
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books are the best source of learning. although a person will have to go through a number of books to get the right material, he won't return empty-handed. he will have gained enough knowledge by reading so many things. while on the computer a person will only get information on a specific topic. so computers should only be used when in real hurry. it does help a little when you need knowledge only in one topic. Side: Books
There are bad books aswell. Don't take them all as a good thing. I have bought two technical books once that were the most pretentious things I've ever seen, from which I have learned nothing else than what I had learned by myself already. I still wander why I didn't go back to the store for a refund... But distinguishing a good book from a bad book, however, is much easier than distinguishing good internet content from bad internet content. Side: Books
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The Internet can be misrepresenting and incomplete in many teachings. Most of what you learn on it is gathered from tidbits here and there, and once in a while someone is going to contradict someone, and you'll be left with a hole in your theory. Of course, this can happen in books, but in books you can differentiate easily the pretentious ones from the worthwhile. A pretentious book is usually thin and not often the cheapest, while the book that was made with hard research and revising is usually thick, and doesn't always cost much more than the thin one. But the experienced author made a better job and a greater effort at teaching the matter. I believe some authors will - due to the dedication needed to create a book that will actually be approved for publishing, and to make it sell well - try to, at least, give their best shot at making it worthy. Usualy, a good book is made by at least one serious minded proffessional. On the Internet, the great majority of what you read is made by amateurs or enthusiasts. Creating this is easy and fast, and because it's free most people don't really tend to make sure it is 100% accurate or efficient. There's no danger of economic investment gone wrong. They don't need to sell one text page to have funds to make more pages of text. There are of course, and thankfully, some professionals, or very experienced people, that do share their knowledge, but they still may neglect certain key aspects of teaching it (intentionaly or not). But usualy an internet tutorial is made by a hobbyist, or a professional with some free time to play around. That said, I can give you my personal example. I've tried both ways along my years of self-teaching 3D Modeling, Photoshoping, programming, and a few other things (which is what I hope to be doing to pay the bills someday), and it was only in books where I really learned with greater consistency. The best example in my personally experience is actually in programming. I've spent so much time (3 or 4 years) learning from here and there on the Internet, always being unable to get my projects done for some reason or another. One day my neighbor (a computers technician) borrowed me a book, I studied it, and I was amazed at how many things I have neglected to learn (or they neglected to teach). And I've never needed any other book, nor the Internet (for that specific programming language). Furthermore, if you tend to use the wikipedia a lot, I won't blame you. For the most part it seems ok. But sometimes, if you take a look at the discussions page you'll see how inconsistent some pages may be. Careful with that. Side: Books
Firstly, I'm for books Why FOR books: First of all, firstly appeared books. and we can not live without them. For some people it is really hard reading from screen of computer. Also, while reading book, you wouldn't be interrupted by advertisement, some bright icons which given in computer during your reading. you are concentrated on this book and nothing more. as a result you will have better achievements. Reading of books has less influence on our health, especially for our eyes. You can even "tick" some moments in your book, which will e very easy for you to find important information. P.S. of course technological progress is excellent, but please, don't forget about books... from the age of Enlightenment books went along us everywhere... Side: Books
Yes, I do agree that internet is more conventional to use and there are millions of information we can get from it, but then...we are not sure if all these information was given by the educated and EXPERT people. I say this because, this morning I've gone to the library and I read a book about INTERNET that says..." A webpage is very easy to make. You can say all the things inside your mind,your opinions and insights about a certain topic that you want to talk about."When I read this statement...the idea that comes inside my mind is..."So it is true that SOME information that we can get from the internet are just opinions". Side: Books
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Again I am Claudius, and this is my reply: You can not say that the reply of the internet to your question is SPECIFIC! May I ask you all. When you type a certain question or a word that you want to learn more about, does the internet gives you ONLY ONE ANSWER that provides you the complete and accurate information that you are expecting to receive? That is my question. The word "SPECIFIC" it means "it gives information that is precise and exact". Side: Books
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I love having textbooks to read instead of using the internet or technology! On the internet i could spend hours looking for one piece of information and find dozens of sites that contain the same thing but not what I'm looking for. With textbooks you get everything you need and want and it is creditable! You know who the author is and that the information is true when on the internet you never really know where the information is coming from. I love books! Would rather read a book then use technology any day! Side: Books
i'm supporting books if you say Internet and computers are more informative than why do we need teachers to teach us .... ?????????? why do you use textbook in schools and colleges [ few colleges ] and also you think Internet is easy for assisting information without analyzing that you are becoming lazy day by day ... , and also usage of Internet you need to pay for it but whereas for books you need not...you think Internet is easy for your sake but you are not thinking of the poor guys and gals who wouldn't be able to use systems and this is also called as selfishness.. i know that everyone writes personal dairy , if you say internet is best why do you want to write in a dairy , you can directly post in internet or save in your system right???? Side: Books
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I am deeply convinced that there is nothing better than book (abc-book, textbook, directory, encyclopedia, literature and though brochure! Scientific magazines, codes, dictionaries, my God, the head around from attempt to clasp non-covered things like books). Yes, computer is much more convenient, in it there are more functions and there are advantages like unlimited access to everything. But in these advantages covered, in my opinion, it's main and non-corrected shortcoming also! 1. Convenience. In computer it is possible to see information only which you need right now, passing "unnecessary" or "uninteresting". To use search in words, in key phrases. In the book it will be necessary to study carefully each page to receive the required data. But it after all is plus! Instead of receiving superficial knowledge (which are worse that eve knowing nothing, I think), you learn reasons, a prehistory, interesting facts, your horizons will be broadened, and mind becomes more flexible. Even if you think, what it is not useful to you - who knows? You, eventually, will learn search and reading "on a diagonal" itself, without resorting to the help of programs or special means. You will have skills like quick reading also. 2. Functions. I do not argue, of course computer - not simply book, it is the whole library, free, available, in step proximity... But near this library, figuratively speaking, there is the whole amusement park. Being the student, I perfectly represent as it is easy to distract, working at the computer. You will not manage to look back, and yeah - you play the second hour in WoT instead of writing the final essay. So multifunctionality of the computer not so continuous pleasure or absolute plus. 3. Unlimited access. I would not want to hear that Father Frost does not exist from any Internet user =) Or to see still something, excessively cruel or cynical, to read any forbidden book. After all any sources are forbidden, isn't it? Forbidden not just because of someone's minute desire. Though it is a disputed issue, but I think so. 4 . Well, and the last. How it is possible to prefer to the book, the friend, this callous, non-soul piece of iron? The book smells as typographical paint, rustles with pages, with it it is possible to lie on a sofa, to walk with a dog and eat in cafe. Book almost live. And computer, well, is computer. Perhaps I think like old or stereotipical person, but it's pleasantly to be engaged according to the book. And what is helped more for educational process than sincere desire to study and learn something new? Side: Books
People....this is going to be really helpful....must read...!!:) The Internet is very much like television in that it takes time away from other pursuits, provides entertainment and information, but in no way can compare with the warm, personal experience of reading a good book. This is not the only reason why the Internet will never replace books, for books provide the in-depth knowledge of a subject that sitting in front of a computer monitor cannot provide. We can download text from an Internet source, but the aesthetic quality of sheets of downloaded text leave much to be desired. A well-designed book enhances the reading experience. The book is still the most compact and inexpensive means of conveying a dense amount of knowledge in a convenient package. The easy portability of the book is what makes it the most user-friendly format for knowledge ever invented. The idea that one can carry in one's pocket a play by Shakespeare, a novel by Charles Dickens or Tom Clancy, Plato's Dialogues, or the Bible in a small paperback edition is mind-boggling. We take such uncommon convenience for granted, not realizing that the book itself has undergone quite an evolution since the production of the Gutenberg Bible in 1455 and Shakespeare's First Folio in 1623, just three years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth to colonize the New World. Not only has the art and craft of printing and book manufacturing been greatly improved over the centuries, but the great variety of subject matter now available in books is astounding, to say the least. In fact, the Internet requires the constant input of authors and their books to provide it with the information that makes it a useful tool for exploration and learning. Another important reason why the Internet will never replace books is because those who wish to become writers want to see their works permanently published as books - something you can hold, see, feel, skim through, and read at one's leisure without the need for an electric current apart from a lamp. The writer may use a word processor instead of a typewriter or a pen and pad, but the finished product must eventually end up as a book if it is to have value to the reading public. The writer may use the Internet in the course of researching a subject just as he may use a library for that purpose, but the end product will still be a book. What really imperils book reading is not the Internet, but the public schools that are dumbing down our citizens so that they cannot read books, let alone take advantage of the Internet. But more and more parents have become aware of the dumbing down process and are now homeschooling their children so that they can become the highly literate citizens of tomorrow. As long as parents still have the freedom to educate their own children as they see fit, the ruling elite will never be able to fully consolidate its control of all the people all of the time. Rather than replace books, the Internet is now being used by distributors like Amazon and Barnes and Noble to sell more and more books to consumers on a global scale. And even though the Internet provides consumers with a much larger selection of books than is available in any one bookstore, it will never replace the bookstore where the reader can browse to his heart's content and now even settle down in an easy chair and read a book until closing time. The big new super bookstores now serve coffee and pastries, present live readings by authors, and stay open late. They are becoming cultural hubs in their communities. The computer monitor is therefore no match for a friendly bookstore. Nor will the Internet ever replace the sheer enjoyment of browsing in an antiquarian book store or going to an antiquarian book fair and actually holding a book and leafing through pages printed over a hundred years ago. Books provide a bridge to the past, to all of those who have gone before us and have left us the wisdom accumulated by their life experiences. Books have that magical ability to bring the past to life through the words of those who lived in years gone by. If you want to truly know history, you must read the actual words of those who lived it, unabridged and unrevised by today's proponents of political correctness. Books are also companions in a way that the Internet can never be. The author speaks to us directly through the pages. We hear his or her voice. If the story is compelling, it will become part of our own mentalities and provide us with an experience which we will have had through the author. We will have known what it was like to survive a concentration camp, or live the life of a great actress or statesman or musician, or suffer climbing Mount Everest, or rejoice in making a great scientific discovery. Each of us has only one life to live, but we can vicariously live a great many other lives through books written by other human beings. That is why the power of the book can never be replaced by the Internet. That is not to say the Internet is any less than it is. The Internet, as it continues to grow, is certainly one of the most remarkable technological developments in the history of mankind. Its ability to connect us all with the entire world is what makes it so extraordinary. For example, you can read the morning's headlines or weather reports in Australian newspapers, explore the subway system in Buenos Aires, or locate a long-lost friend in the U.S. if he or she has a telephone. Through email you can communicate with anyone anywhere who also has an email address. You can even discuss the latest book you've read. But will the Internet ever replace books? Not on your life. Thankyou so much..... Side: Books
I strongly believe books are the best means to study by. Sure the internet might have a lot of information out there, but, you can never be really sure that what you read online is actually true. I LOVE books and whenever I had to study for something, I went straight to the bookshelves. I believe those who study by books, or just read lots of book in general, have better vocabularies and even greater intelligence. And to add to that, Those who study by computer are just lazy. Lazy people don't get good grades. Just Saying. Side: Books
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....we can read but why we don't use it?...were just keep on RESEARCHING???...just copy paste then DONE!!..in very beginning our mom using books to tell us some story...in the pre-school were using books to learn more how to read..but now???...the BOOks is just in your room..cabinet..library why we need to keep on searching if know that BOOk is more important and more better than YOUR GADGETS!? come on!!.. Books are very important in everyday life because they are a primary source of information which gives a historical or present insight into the period in which it was produced. The life of a good book is known to be far longer than that of a man.... what can you say???? BOOKS is more IMPORTANT!! Side: Books
books ! sitting in the net is bad for ur eyes! better is to pass ur free time by reading books! net is not available everywhere,it would also look awkward carrying a ipad or a laptop everywhere !reading books always give u great ideas of many thing.books are an easy easy way of understanding different things.there are lot of information on the net. anyone can post anything, and much of it is garbage.i do thing so computers ,ipad , tab ect. ect. will stay for a long time.where did the idea of intrenet came from ? books! they are precious! Side: Books
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i think internet is better than books.If we have to find any thing in undeveloped days we could'nt use internet and if we had to find any thing we had to go through all of the books!now a days we just simply go on internet and google anything! it just simply explains that internet is better than library!!!!!!!. Side: Books
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Traditional learning using regular text book and other print references is way effective. I have to consider though the use of computer for advance learning specially in our modern world today that almost everything depends on technology. However, when it comes to learning essence using text books holds more knowledgeable than of anything else. From reading books, we have come up to an idea that "reading is learning". For digital format books, you can have them done reprinted on traditional books or booklets if you want to, try it at http://www.digitekprinting.com/ Side: Books
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With computers, you have access to a plethora of knowledge and all you have to do is use a search engine. Also, you can find specific topics that you want to learn about faster and quickly look up references. Seriously, when was the last time you've been to the library for books? Side: computers
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computers have way more information cause most non-fiction books are based on one type of information yet on the internet you learn about the great wall of china, minimize ebay where your about to out bid some weird from norway, all while listening to american idiot by green day can a book do that oh, and wondering you don't need to download anything and if you did you wouldn't get any virus by doing that if you got norton security which you do not have to buy and therefore, computers are better than books Side: computers
I would have to say, firstly, you don't write very well, which usually has something to do with one's ability to read, which has an adult, has nothing to do with computers vs. books. Secondly, the question is, "Are books or computers better for learning?", which then leads to another question, "for what category of people?" Everything you said in your response was based as an adults view of maybe randomly wanting to look something up(learn about) along with shopping and playing music which have nothing to do with what really causes more successful learning in ones brain. If you were to apply the question to a class of first graders just learning to read, the various aspects of accuracy in the question would be vitally important to the answer. As an adult, learning through use of a computer vs a book would depend on specifically what you were trying to learn, how much time you had available, and how pertinent having the exact accurate information really is. There are many things in books that cannot be found anywhere on the internet. Side: Books
That wasn't the point. The point was to emphasize on how the computer opens up a world of opportunities... including multi-tasking. While this approach might not work for everyone, it offers a promising learning opportunity to others. Music and audio prompts have been known to promote good retention of information. While the analysis found in books cannot be found on the Internet (often), for most of the general public, this analysis is not a necessity. The point here is not to analyze a piece of work, or go deep into the depths of a subject. It is to learn. And while books provide a more in depth approach to a subject, the computer has many, many more sources to study that subject from... which allows you to choose exactly what you want to learn. You are right about the accuracy of information though... but the Internet provides many, many sources to cross-reference the accuracy of suspicious "facts." While I concede some of your points, I refuse to accept most of your argument. Good day :) PS: I'm 13 and my English isn't terrible, is it? My use of the Internet far outweighs anything my father uses and yet his English level is of a similar to better ability than mine. Never mind. One points I failed to mention was that you can find books on the Internet, but not the Internet in books ;) Side: computers
I think people are confusing the very word 'learning'. Yes a book is definitely a source of information and a very primitive one, and sometimes during exams it's better to study the hard copies..but learning in the very true essence of it means gathering of information and expanding one's horizons..and i think computer is the key. With the help of the world wide web we can not only get electronic copies of 'books' but also informations regarding the latest developments and the latest technologies which we will definitely not find in the books this soon. and to which none of you can disagree..so a computer doesn't only supply us with a much much much much wider source of information and knowledge but also keeps us much ahead of our time than would happen with a book..i also see people writing here that it might be tough to learn computers..well in today's world i don't think the person who doesn't know the very basics of computer and accessing the internet and stuff is much interested in gathering knowledge. because these are the simplest of stuff..and there's no way people can disagree. Therefore and for many other points which are also there i say 'computer'!!! Side: computers
I think people are confusing the very word 'learning'. Yes a book is definitely a source of information and a very primitive one, and sometimes during exams it's better to study the hard copies..but learning in the very true essence of it means gathering of information and expanding one's horizons..and i think computer is the key. With the help of the world wide web we can not only get electronic copies of 'books' but also informations regarding the latest developments and the latest technologies which we will definitely not find in the books this soon. and to which none of you can disagree..so a computer doesn't only supply us with a much much much much wider source of information and knowledge but also keeps us much ahead of our time than would happen with a book..i also see people writing here that it might be tough to learn computers..well in today's world i don't think the person who doesn't know the very basics of computer and accessing the internet and stuff is not interested in gathering knowledge. because these are the simplest of stuff..and there's no way people can disagree. Therefore and for many other points which are also there i say 'computer'!!! Side: computers
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If you know how to navigate the web well to find the information you need then comouters are better because you have all the information you need in one location :) You don't need to worry about book fines at the library or buying books. Info on the computer is mainly free and is easy to find. Computers are faster and its free Side: computers
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I for one spend hours on the internet trying to complete research for a project because every site gives me different answers and because i have to determine if the sites are creditable. I recently received a textbook for my course and find it a godsend because all the information i want and need are right there. And i know it is reliable information. Side: Books
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Kids go to school and when they get out all of a sudden they forget everything they have learned. Why is this behavior common? Something is not right. Books are more boring, because there is no interaction with the reader. With computers you can make exercises, watch learning videos, and there are official sites that are safe for learning. This is the time of technology, books are old fashioned, and the might have worked, but not any more. We have to look forward to the future, we have to learn with computers Side: computers
Computers are if they have internet. The internet has unlimited. information updated and added too every 0.10 seconds. Plus you can get or print any book off the internet except books that only one person has made and seen such as diarys, journals, scrapbooks, ect. But you can find them if they hae been uploaded to the internet. So over all the internet wins 3 to 1. Side: computers
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To begin with I would like to say that computers are more suitable for learning because of many factors, such as: Firstly, modern computers contains a lot of downloaded, it is obviously a real fund of knowledge. You may take it wherever you want. Secondly, simplified search of information, for example : you can find any information in a few seconds. Thirdly , computers have an Internet connecting that helps people to know almost everything , thereby automatically computers become the best source of leaning. Side: computers
books ! sitting in the net is bad for ur eyes! better is to pass ur free time by reading books! net is not available everywhere,it would also look awkward carrying a ipad or a laptop everywhere !reading books always give u great ideas of many thing.books are an easy easy way of understanding different things.there are lot of information on the net. anyone can post anything, and much of it is garbage.i do thing so computers ,ipad , tab ect. ect. will stay for a long time.where did the idea of intrenet came from ? books! they are precious! Side: computers
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Computers+internet>books. No matter how big a Library you are in, there will always be virtually infinitely more info inline. Plus it will generally take less time to track down a specific piece of information online. And the internet constantly updates itself. That said, there is a LOT of crap information online. You need to be able to identify good sources and be ready to research the sources. But, really this is also true of books. Side: computers
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What the hell? I was bringing up a good point for computers. Im not one of those "computer lovers". I don't know what your stupid comment was supposed too mean. Don't get mad just because I brought up a good point against books. I think you are the one that needs to take a good hard look in the mirror. Side: computers
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I'm going to go with computers, because for the most part that also encompasses books. While I hesitate to say 100%, NEARLY all books that are currently in circulation can be found on the internet, either in a hand-transcribed document, a scanned document, or a published ebook. And there is a lot of information on the internet that isn't actually published anywhere- or at least, isn't published anywhere that can be readily accessed by the average person. The internet also has the advantage of being easy to update when new information is available. A book on any given field of study is already behind the curve by the time it's sent to editing, and even morseo by the time it's published and hits the shelves. Any new discoveries, including those that reveal flaws in previously drawn conclusions, are unavailable in book form until the next edition is published. The ease of updating can also be a disadvantage however- such as when Wikipedia is vandalized. That said, learning using the internet is also more difficult due to a significantly lower signal to noise ratio. When using the internet as opposed to a library, one has to be far more focused to avoid distraction, as well as far more able to filter out misinformation and vet sources. Side: computers
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Computers are superior to books simply because computers can hold WAY more information than a book can. A book is physically limited to a specific number of pages whereas the amount of information a computer can hold is extremely high. Times have changed and I would rather have the internet where I could find something in a matter of seconds than have to flick through pages and pages. Side: computers
Yes of course, books are primitive but computers are advanced. for example a boy want to search his homework such as history of art or ........... He can just read one book because of his deadline. However he can access all information about his homework by using internet websites including articles, pictures or videos. Side: computers
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Hi I am a student and I have to agree computers are better. First off they are way more light so if I had all my books on 1 thing my back would not be nearly as sore as it is now. Secondly I would have the world at my fingertips! I am doing this debate in school and these are two of my topics. Please help me out any more ideas? Side: computers
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Computers and different devices are widening our academic horizons. Now, there are so many platforms like EduCat where you can use many tools to work with texts, manage the time of your speech, monitor your gpa...education is easier with technologies, that is for sure. Side: computers
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Both books and computers have unique strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning. Books have been a primary source of knowledge and education for centuries and offer several advantages. They are portable, affordable, and do not require an internet connection. Books also allow readers to annotate and highlight important passages, making it easier to retain and remember information. On the other hand, computers offer several advantages as well. They provide access to a vast amount of information and resources that can be quickly and easily searched, sorted, and filtered. They also offer interactive and multimedia features, such as videos, animations, and simulations, that can make learning more engaging and memorable. However, it is important to note that both books and computers have limitations. Books may not provide the most up-to-date information or may lack multimedia features that can enhance learning. Computers, on the other hand, can be distracting and can lead to information overload or a lack of critical thinking skills. Ultimately, the best tool for learning depends on the individual and the context. For example, books may be more suitable for certain subjects that require in-depth analysis and reflection, such as philosophy or literature. Computers may be more suitable for subjects that require access to the latest information and research, such as science or technology Side: computers
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