Multi-Modal Literacies: Publish of Perish

     After reading this article, I have mixed feelings about the difference between an actual physical book and an ereader.  I've been conflicted about this for awhile because I own an ereader, but I also have a book shelf full of actual books.  I like my ereader because it allows be to store multiple books on one device, change the text size, and I can read in the dark since the screen is lit up similar to a computer screen.  I can also buy a book online and have it available to read in about a minute.  However, I don't think anything could take away from the feel and smell of an actual book.  I like to be able to turn the physical pages and highlight text and make notes.  I also love to browse through a bookstore, even if I'm not actually buying anything.  I just like being around books and leafing through them.  Going to a bookstore gives me more ideas of what books to read.  Also, with an ereader, it's harder for teachers to set up a classroom library and loan books to students, because I wouldn't want to be lending my students an expensive device.  Therefore, I would be very sad to see the physical book industry become obsolete.
     I was also very disturbed by the following statistic at the beginning of the article when Steve Jobs is quoted saying “It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore.  Forty per cent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year.”  As a future language arts teacher, this really made me think about the literacy rates in this country.  What's the point of having the ability to read if you don't read?  I think everyone should regularly read books because they open minds and give people insight into all sorts of different topics they never would have known about before.  Therefore, I think it's important for teachers to work towards promoting reading outside of school.  I plan on having a classroom library and lending books to students.  I also plan on having book talks once a week in order to get students interested in reading and give them ideas for the types of books they could read.  
     I think that the Kindle and IPad are great forms of technology and I think e-books are a good thing, but I don't think that books should be marketed in the same way as an IPhone application or a movie or television show.  The fact is that books aren't the same as a movie or TV show.  Books are their own medium and should be treated as their own medium.  I hope that I will be able to promote literacy to all my future students.  


 vs.