eBooks and Learners
I am not personally aware of anyone using eBooks in the classroom, nor do I know of educators that use eBooks with their students. Others have posted about research on learning with eBooks, so I won’t comment on that (here). So that leaves me in a bit of a quandry. Do eBooks have a place for learning in the near future?
I have a hard time coming to terms with the impact that ebooks will have on learning in public education. In general, I think we are a long ways away from any significant impact. I would guess 10 years or more. I see very few gains in using an eInk device in the classroom, along with many negatives. I think the novel market is already very saturated with used copies of Catcher in the Rye, and others. For textbooks, eInk is definitely not the way forward. Furthermore, for tablet based systems I don’t think we have a sustainable ecosystem that can do 1:1 support for computers that cost $600. For the EVM, I would say that eBooks will be a small niche market for many years to come. I think there is a chance the 21st Century Learning will eventually take hold such that school as we know it today will be drastically changed, and the cost of a tablet will be there for students. But that is a long ways away. No matter what pedagogy is developed, I don’t see any way around the budget issue on eBooks.
I see about the same number of computers in a classroom today that I saw in 1990. Based on this, I have no reason to believe that eBook devices will taken a sudden hold in schools.
Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
hall 2:21 am on October 14, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Doug,
I think eBooks will transform our educational institutions. I have used eBooks with my students both in Mathematics and Physics. The students normally find them useful and convenient. There are a few students who find it difficult to study from eBooks but the alternative is that they can print the various sections of the books that are needed.
Doug Smith 5:05 pm on October 14, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I can see this happening in private or post-secondary education, but I don’t see it happening in the public system.
I’m curious: what kind of devices do your students use to read eBooks on math and physics? Who paid for them? What titles do you use for physics – I am very interested in this! Our school somehow has no textbook for Physics 11.
bcourey 4:03 am on October 14, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
We have a Kindle project going on in 4 Grade 7/8 classrooms that have found very low engagement in reading by the adolescent boys. We purchased sets of 6 for each classroom and purchased several books from Amazon (each book can be downloaded to 6 Kindles) and are gathering data on the engagement of the boys with reading. We definitely see that the technology piqued their interest and the students (girls too, but not so much as boys) ask to use the Kindles regularly. 2-3 of the students in each class make regular use of the text to speech feature on the Kindle – they prefer this over the use of the audio books (on tape cassettes) that are also in the room – cooler to use the Kindle than the old technology. We are waiting to see if the novelty wears off and the reading time drops off…not sure yet. The same boys who are in their second year of Kindle use are still using them regularly – a few of them now have their own readers purchased by parents…interesting so far.
Doug Smith 5:03 pm on October 14, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Regardless of the educational outcomes, are schools able to spend $100 per student on an eBook, along with purchasing new books that the departments already have in hardcopy? And even if some grants appear in special cases, what are the chances of getting another round of financing or grants once the eBooks break, become obsolete, or generally die? I just don’t see it happening. But then again, I’m not a finance guy!
Allie 12:39 pm on October 14, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Doug,
I really appreciate that you are bringing a more sober account; I think it’s really crucial. Your comment re: increase in computers (or lack thereof) is interesting, and makes me think that a valuable study for us would be which technologies *have* gained traction in different educational marketplaces, and which haven’t. I say different marketplaces because post-sec – where my instructional experience lies – is quite different from K-12.
Bcourey (my apologies, I don’t remember your proper first name!), I also think you’re right to point out that there’s a novelty factor that we need to be wary of.
Allie