The End of Print Media?

A few nights ago, I was watching the Scholastic Video version of The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey with my two young children. It's a simple story about a boy who wakes up before dawn and pedals through his town delivering papers with his dog tagging along behind him. There is a throw-back sense of romanticism to this tale, and I always connect it to my own time spent as a paperboy when I was a teen (the early mornings, the smell of the papers, the newsprint on my hands). Of course, the story has started to take on a new meaning for me with the recent announcements of newspapers around the country shutting down. In turn, this has started me thinking about print media in general, and what effect the digital domain is having on them.

There are two very distinct sides to the debate. Some argue that print-based media are a necessity in any young person's life, and that moving away from traditional teaching methods is "giving in" to the digital tidal wave and leaving good pedagogy behind. Others point out that all languages have changed over time, and that these digital elements to literacy are just the next step in the evolution of our language and how we learn. It's a tricky topic, because many people are emotionally invested in it. And even though I tend to lean toward the second argument and see a shift toward newer forms of literacy not only as a given, but also a necessity, I often feel a pull toward showing kids the value of "a good book" and trying to share with them that emotional feeling that The Paperboy brings to me.

I don't think anyone believes that there will come a time when no print media of any kind exist, but the times are definitely changing, and the ways that people interact with text is in flux as well. My students are currently doing a research project, and we spoke the other day about how the research would have looked twenty years ago (using a card catalog and strenuous cross-referencing). They indicated that they prefer a world where you can have multiple sources open at once (without taking up an entire table) and can follow links to information as you read. Truth be told, I also prefer this digital world. As much as I fondly remember my experiences in print, I have accomplished so much more in so much less time since I have been able to use digital resources.

A few weeks ago, a second grade teacher in my building approached me to discuss doing a joint class newspaper project. I quickly agreed; having my fifth graders create, print out, and distribute a small class newspaper has been a yearly highlight for me, and combining our efforts with a younger grade sounded like an exciting new direction for the activity. However, the more I thought about setting this project up, the more I realized how dated it has become. I went back to my colleague and said, "What about a wiki instead of a print newspaper?" She immediately agreed, having the same sort epiphany that I had. Together we realized that having students work on a newspaper would be having them work in an increasingly out-of-date medium, and that our efforts would be more practical and helpful if we taught them how to publish their ideas digitally.

Which brings me back to The Paperboy. Yes, there is a certain beauty in the simple idea of a young boy bringing the news to his neighborhood before the first rays of the sun crack the horizon; but having that same little boy digitally publish something of his own that could be read by the world is an equally fascinating notion, and one that will ultimately prove to be a foundation for the world of his (and my children's) future.