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So, when it comes to engaging with educational materials, there are two main ways to do it – recording and preserving. And let me tell you, with the rise in technology, we can process text in ways we never even thought possible before. In this post, I’ll share my own experiences with data encryption, transcribing, and preserving physical books. I’ve had some successes and failures along the way.
Transcribed Documents vs. Digital Documents
I can’t even remember when I first stumbled upon digital documents – whether it was a book, a novel, or a textbook. All I know is that I’ve become an expert in handling digital stuff. I can’t think of a time when I didn’t have a book to read or a document to sign that wasn’t accessible digitally. If you ask me which one’s better, I’d go with digital every single time. It has made my educational life so much easier, and even signing electronic documents is a piece of cake now. The best part? I know those files will be safe somewhere on my computer or laptop, even if I can’t always remember where exactly I saved them. But hey, at least they’re somewhere accessible, right?
The Future is Now
I had this assignment that required me to watch this long video, like an hour or two long. And I am always trying to find the easiest, most efficient way to get my homework done. So, I did some research and I discovered a trick. Turns out, you can convert videos into written transcripts! My brilliant idea was to use the search function within the transcript to help me answer the quizzes that went along with the videos. It was a total game-changer.
Anyway, there are some other cool things about digital documents. First off, they’re way more accessible. And let me tell you, as someone who’s visually impaired, being able to magnify parts of books, texts, and even web pages can be a godsend. Sure, I could just buy a physical magnifying glass, but don’t we all have enough things to keep track of already?
This site article describes the various ways that transcription has helped other college students and in contrast, this site discusses the ease in which data can be collected through a digitized process.
Here’s the downside, Sometimes transcribing videos takes longer than just watching them. There is also potential for error. That Ctrl + F function doesn’t always do what you need it to and in the heat of the moment during a quiz, it can leave you worse off than when you started.
Some other technological barriers include accessibility. For example, let’s say I have a textbook assignment that’s only available on my laptop or cellphone, but I don’t have either one? Because of this very real issue, those with limited technological resources might face some challenges in fully engaging with certain materials.
Preserving the Past
Okay, so let’s say I have this one book that’s my absolute favorite. It’s so good that I would love to own more than one copy, but it’s so darn expensive that I can only afford one. To make things worse, they stopped making it years ago. It’s also signed by the original author! So, you can imagine how irreplaceable it is to me.
One of the great things about owning a physical copy of a book is the feel of it. There’s just something special about holding a book in your hands and flipping through its pages. It’s like you’re really part of the experience of indulging in the material contained within its covers. Plus, it’s an authentic piece of property that could even be a conversation starter.
I don’t believe all books, texts, and writing should be transcribed and some students prefer to have a physical and visual version of the assignment text. Personally, I prefer marking up texts physically, jotting notes in margins, and highlighting important passages.
But let’s be real – archiving books takes up space. It requires time and money to maintain. If we turned all of the libraries in the world into online/digital ones, the world would be a sad place. There’s just something about being surrounded by rows and rows of books that makes you feel like you’re in a magical place.
The best of Both Worlds…
So, I think it’s important to have a good balance between the two – physical and digital documentation. We need to preserve our past in all kinds of writing and documenting. I’m a big fan of physical archival documentation because you engage with it differently than you would through a computer. But let’s be real, the options for ease of access are endless with text data.
A research study by Evers, Jeanine C. called “From the Past into the Future. How Technological Developments Change Our Ways of Data Collection, Transcription and Analysis” talks about the advancements in text data analysis and where it’s headed in the future.