Ereaderless
Like some of the previous posters I also do not own an ereader although I find more and more of my reading is being from my computer and I think I would really benefit from an ereader as I would be able to do more of my research and reading while on-route without having a bunch of papers or books that get more and more worn out each time I retrieve them from and return them to my briefcase. I suppose the biggest reason I do not own an ereader is the cost. Though they are not overly expensive still outside the reach of a full-time student whose paychecks are devoted to other more important expenses.
As far as traveling and ereaders I can definitely see the benefits of all one’s literary pleasures loaded into one compact, mobile device. I do think that there are places that I would not bring an ereader and feel better about the idea of laying on or near the beach with a good old fashioned book, one I can fall asleep with over my face (this might look slightly funny with an ereader).
I do think that in the future I will likely purchase an ereader or use one that is built into another tablet device (iPad or other). My greatest worry would be in regards to note taking while reading. I am often scribling down thoughts and reflections into the margins of my articles and books. While I cam aware that this is also possible on many ereaders I am not sure I could make the shift from scribling notes in the margins to typing them on a touch-screen keyboard for the same reasons I still take hand notes in class as opposed to typing things on my laptop. But who knows? Perhaps after a short-time I could be convinced.
With regards to education I think with any learning technology, learning and educating will not simply be transformed by the simple presence of a new device and the same will hold true for ebooks and ereaders. The pedogogical changes educators are making to effectively incorporate the device into learning will be the most important determining the outcomes of these devices in the education, particularly in a classroom setting. An ebook can be just as ineffective as a normal book if not embedded in sound teaching.
I think the market for these still exists primarly in content consumption and entertainment with some overlap into the arenas of mobile, self-directed learning, most of which I would argue, is informal (not organized). Amazon’s Kindle and other ereaders, while offering access to a plethora of media (music, movies, ebooks, digal magazines, etc.) are still based on the one-way concept of information consumption and unless this is incorporated into a model that allows students to use the information being consumed, can we still say they are learning with this device?
Despite the above I do however see some of their benefits. In higher education with regards to digital textbooks and the keeping costs down and as I recognized above a good way to organize a large personal research library of articles in PDFs. Recently for another course project I spoke with the Vancouver Public Library Outreach Services department and learned about their ereader pilot project for the visually impaired. Ereaders also serve in aiding those with visual disabilities since the text can be manipulated making it more readable. Ebooks also have very attractive features for interaction and engagment of the material as was shown in the video about “The Last Dragonslayer” and the ability to connect to SMARTboards may be a promising way to attract attention but I tread caustiously in equating student engagement and increased attentiveness with overall improvement in literacy and learning.
Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
David William Price 3:44 pm on October 12, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
The great think about e-readers is having your library with you. You can take advantage of periods of time (even 5-10 minutes) to do reading of what would otherwise be large, heavy, unwieldy texts. You can also save yourself the wrist/finger-thumb/arm strain of holding a book up. It may sound silly but some books I’ve read have been pretty massive and it was the e-reader that got me through them completely both because of it’s light weight and also because of it’s convenience of use in any context.
I adopted a philosophy some time ago of “never waiting for anyone”. By “waiting” I mean sitting around and anticipating their arrival. Instead, I give myself something to do. Time flies and in many respects I don’t really care when someone shows up or where I am in a line, or how long my commute is.
This is a great thing for learning… if ebooks are modular enough, you can consume usable bits of information in small amounts of time and think about them and apply them right away.
Jay 4:17 pm on October 12, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I definitly agree with you on this aspect of ereaders and the opportunties they offer in organizing the information we read and the ease in which the do it (less strain). As my academic library of articles grows by the day the printing costs and strain on my back (with carrying a laptop bag everywhere) would probably pay for an ereader in a very short amount of time.
I can appreciate your earlier post and your comment how not everyone wants to lose themselves in a book and some want quick, efficient ways to summarize, browse and consume information to be used in the very immediate future. I think it is in this area they become a useful tool more so than in the classroom, but perhaps some classroom teachers feel differently?
David William Price 4:47 pm on October 12, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for your comments.
I found this comment interesting: ” I think it is in this area they become a useful tool more so than in the classroom, but perhaps some classroom teachers feel differently?”
Why do you think that students wouldn’t want to operationalize knowledge as soon as possible for problem-solving? Wouldn’t that increase the authenticity of their learning and develop problem-solving skills?
ifeoma 8:03 pm on October 12, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Jay,
Your position on the pedagogical relevance of e-books at the moment in particular caught my attention. You have presented potential challenges with the technology in education. I can see your angle, as you pointed out, the mere presence of a device will not change education but integration into mainstream learning will be more effective (this is what i understand, correct me if I am getting it wrong).
This would also speak to the concept of “technology for technology sake.” Acquiring the technology does not on it’s own change or make learning happen but how it is applied to bring about an effective learning experience. I was however glad that you mentioned the benefits linking it to high school.
As for making notes, the feature does exist in ebooks, the LexisNexis eBooks demonstration-a Youtube post by Group 2 makes a good case for ebooks features and gives a really good insight into what you can expect. I think that it would also make a good research tool with the features it possesses.
andrea 8:39 pm on October 13, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Like Ifeoma, I was struck with your comments about how “learning and educating will not simply be transformed by the simple presence of a new device.” We often overlook that new tools do not always offer any additional ways for people to engage with the information or learn. I think eBooks offer learners new ways to engage with materials, but it won’t simply be through creating digital versions of existing books. Digital versions might be cheaper or more convenient, but we need to reevaluate how we’re presenting information in these tools and modify our teaching approaches accordingly.
ashleyross 12:34 pm on October 14, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Jay,
You make some really good points in your post, I especially agree with your comment about E-readers aiding those with visual disabilities (“Ereaders also serve in aiding those with visual disabilities since the text can be manipulated making it more readable”). I would like to add that with the growing interest of E-readers, that more and more books are becoming available in digital format. This is particularly beneficial for students with learning disabilities or dyslexia, as most (not all) digital formats can be converted into a reading program such as Kurzweil. Maybe more students with visual and learning disabilities will start to enjoy reading and start reading for pleasure instead of only reading as required as a part of their studies.