Sunday, December 12, 2010

Task 13 NIE - redesigning activities

I work behind the computer like more and more people do. So when I finish my workday, I would like to  rest from computer screen, especially because of my eyes, to take a brake for them - but it's not that easy. For example I would like to read something - I have tons of books inside my computer. And I don't want to read them because i don't want to look at the screen while reading them. There are E-readers in the world with totally different technology form computer screens and IPads, I don't have one yet and in Estonia it's not that easy to buy one either and buying one online would mean I can't touch it before.
I was total "book-believer" before. When someone told me that it's possible to get the same feeling reading from E-reader as from rea book  I said "oh yeah, right, you can believe that, but still, the smell, the page turning, the feeling of the paper". And then I held one e-reader, I have to admit, that it was totally ok - totally different form usual screen mostly closer to real book feeling and it didn't cause the pressure for the eye as screens do.
I would also enjoy more books or articles in audio format. There are many programs that can read text but it's often robotic, when a real person has taped a story it's different and you can get firsthand emotion from it.
It has become really common to sit behind computer screens and few think what it actually does to our body. When looking around on the streets we can see young people are already bent backs and problems with their eyes. While more and more activities and interactions are done with computer mediation, next important steps has to be do talk loud what it does to our bodies. I would really like to hear that some big computer companies come out with "special computer, designed to reduce your back pain". I don't know how it would actually work - there are common guidelines for offices how to use screens and what extra keyboards employees should have - but I don't see it's enough.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dear Elise,
Thank you very much for contributing and sharing your interesting ideas. It was a great pleasure to have you on board.
Merry Christmas!
Terje