At the Arts Department of my university (University of Southern Denmark) we have been issued with an I-pad so that we may mark papers and consult with one another without a lot of paper. I am not sure I trust the linear scroll as a means of getting an overall idea of an essay's cogency - its character as a product. It is a product resulting, of course, from a process, but academic writing aims, as far as I can see, at arguing a point in a way that has organised the relevant material so as to present the point most convincingly andsystematically. Its has an overall shape which is hard to keep in mind for the digital reader.
Some will say I am old and set in my bookish ways; that I need practice. But please consider if there is a problem nevertheless. Can scrolling offer self-conscious and reflective academic reading?
No comments:
Post a Comment