Printed Media – Books

Back

Books:

Books are one of the oldest forms of printed media. The first book printed in British North America was the Bay Psalm Book. It was the first song book printed for the churches in Plymouth (Murray, 2009). Ever since then, millions of books have been written for the purpose of leisure reading, learning, and instruction. Most books are a convenient size and are easy to take with you on the go.  Even with the advent of electronic media, books are still widely used and have had a significant impact on education.

Relating Books to Instructional Objectives:

 

Class of media: Printed medium.

Characteristics: Paperback, hardback, and loose-leaf.

 

Application to types of learning:  Books are useful in a classroom setting or in a home setting when studying or preparing for a class. They are useful in providing additional information to the student that may not have been used by an instructor.

 

Cognitive objectives:

  • Teach students how to look up information for themselves.
  • Teach students how to interpret information for themselves.
  • Encourage students to read more and engage their mind.

 

Psychomotor objectives:  None.

Affective objectives:  None.

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Books:

 

Advantages:

  • Allows freedom for a student to review the information themselves at their convenience.
  • Allows instructors the ability to save lecture time and assign reading to the student that enhances their classroom learning.
  • Allows multiple students to have access to the same information.
  • Reading books helps students increase their vocabulary.
  • Reading books allow students to learn directly from the Subject Matter Experts (SME’s).

 

Disadvantages:

  • Students may purchase the wrong edition and not have access to the latest information.
  • Students may not understand the subject matter that they are reading.
  • Books can be bulky and difficult to carry around.
  • Books may be expensive and hard to resell.

 

Considerations for Selecting Books for Instruction:

  • Does the lesson allow for the use of books?
  • Are there enough of the required books for each student?
  • Are the books affordable?
  • Does the book actually enhance the learning experience?

 

Citations:

 Murray, Stuart A. P. (2009). The Library An Illustrated History. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. p. 140.