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 […]
Continue reading Ereaderless Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
My first experience with an eBook would be when I installed apps called Stanza and Classics to my iPhone about 2 years ago. Stanza is an app which you can download a selection of more than 50,000 contemporary books from its partner stores. It also allows you to download classics and recent works from Project Gutenberg, Feedbooks, and other sources. […]
Continue reading My eBook Experience Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
I agree with your health issues. I guess we need to moderate the use of eBook (especially with children). Getting a pair of eyeglass is not cheap.
@ Schiong: I agree with you. In addition to glasses, affording eBook or iPad is expensive as well. But, eyes also hurt when we read a book in the dark or watch TV. We might need glasses even though we don’t use eBook. Which one do you think is worth possessing more in the end? eBook or paper books?
Many people like eBook for its convenience and portability. However, it’s more expensive than buying paper books. On the other hand, since my eBook, for example, has more than 50 000 novels, buying eBook is a lot cheaper than buying 50 000 paper books in the end.
Not considering health issues (eyes), then eBook is very useful, isn’t it?
Deb
A TOWN WITHOUT BOOKS, WHERE NASA PRACTISED MOON LANDINGS My father grew up in a mining town with no trees and, as he claims, no books. He left as soon as he was able and found work cleaning telephones. By the time he retired, he was advising executives and working with professors from Harvard. […]
Continue reading eBooks could be cheating done right! Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
Hi David,
There’s obviously much in this essay to consider and respond to, but I’ll keep it to my top 4…
1) I read your take as being very strongly pragmatic (read what we need in order to solve the particular task at hand). I can’t help but think of the contrasting issue to the execs you discuss who want to synopsis rather than reading the book – that is, the huge value some people place on displaying how well read they are – or how well read they want people to think they are. I think this is significant for our discussion of e-books this week because the materiality of hard copy books is not only personally but socially significant for many. In the museum studies course I teach, we talk a lot about how, as students, our bookshelves at home can be considered curated collections – and how we are using them to make visible, to ourselves and others, our identities and ambitions.
2) Your comments on shearing down content reminded me of something significant a mentor once shared with me – it’s not what you know, it’s knowing where to find out what you need to know.
3) The idea of social annotations sounds really interesting – but as with knowing where to look, I’d want to be picky about whose metadata (annotations and highlighted passages) I’d be using. I say this because most of my experience with metadata in the form of marginalia and highlights comes from academic library books – and at least in the UBC social science books, ‘outrage marginalia’ seems to be a hot genre! As for finding the socially sanctioned good stuff – at least in academic texts – I love the Web of Science search engine, as it tells you which pages of a given text are most often cited in peer-reviewed publications. Interestingly, and a bit hilariously, it’s often the first page!
4) re: modular content. I’ve recently worked on a very large book composed of 30 distinct, and independently authored, chapters. From what I’ve learned from that experience, curation (careful selection, editing, and ordering) is paramount to ensure that the volume as a whole is cohesive. Something about applying the content management approach to publishing that concerns me is that the emphasis may land too heavily on the individual piece of content rather than on its relationships to other pieces in the broader work.
Wow, thank-you for sharing some great points.
1. Good point about people “wearing” their books as a symbol of their erudition. I was just talking to someone about the over-valuing of symbols (judgments based on the wearing of a hijab, or a skirt that is too short) rather than the character of the person as demonstrated through their actions. My father amassed a huge library in his basement which obviously had a huge symbolic value. I actually felt a tremendous sensation of freedom when I downsized my home prior to moving to a new city. I gave away 100s of books. I’m happy with a growing set of summaries I can share and use. To me, books are intellectual consumables.
2. “Knowing where to find vs. knowing”. Hm… I’m on both sides of this concept. On the one hand knowing where to look is important. On the other, having some judgment about the value of different sources means knowing some content. That’s why I prefer the notion of focusing on core concepts and defining mental models of those concepts in the form of job aids. The summaries, which could be analogized to hockey cards or baseball cards, I suppose, provide an easy way of trading in ideas and not getting too blinded by a particular expression of an idea in a particular book.
3. You’re right that annotations will have different value based on who provides them. In one sense, Wikipedia shows the power of curated crowd-sourcing. That’s a definite possibility. Simply going with trend in highlights and comments is another path. A third way would be to tap into particular minds: how would Steve Jobs annotate a business book? How would that compare to Bill Gates?
4. I take your point about the value of curating. I suppose I would say that your value as a curator is to consider the modules and work on the connective tissue that sequences them and teases out the patterns in them. The fact that you can work with modules actually gives you a lot more power in editing. Instead of facing a monolithic work, you can re-arrange modules for purposes of comparison, contrast, etc. One of my goals for my writing students is to make better use of outlines… breaking ideas down into chunks and playing with those chunks like a curator, using the outline as a simulation of the final work.
I strongly believe that anxiety over reading and thinking comes from feeling overwhelmed by a perceived complexity. Cognitive load theory suggests we use chunking to assemble patterns and hierarchies for easier processing.
Very interesting point, David, about the circumstances in which your father lived and became an educated reader, just as executives and professors went the other way with their reading: less is more. I agree with Allie first point, in fact heard very similar ideas in the CBC podcast Doug posted, people like to show what they know (therefore more is more, one would assume).
Thanks to Google and their scanning of a billion or so books, nobody has to read anything ever again, as we now have n-grams to tell us what can be found in decades’ worth of reading material: here’s the link: Google Ngrams Viewer. Gives us more time to get that perfect score on Angry Birds ;-P
I think I represent many potential users of e-books and e-reading devices. I don’t have an e-reader, though the new (cheap!) Kindles definitely have me interested. I’m also a techno-skeptic: I’m wary of fads and tend to hold out on making a technology decision unless I’m really sure it’s a worthwhile investment. I also find […]
Continue reading my personal biography of e-reading Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
Have eBooks enhanced your experience with reading? I graduated from university 2 years ago, and like many have stated, we read so many papers, articles, books and textbooks during these years that reading for “joy” no longer had a place in my life. Every time I would sit down to read I would remember something […]
Continue reading How the Kobo has enhanced my desire to read Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
Jenaca,
I too have a hard time reading. I get bored and sometines I just cannot focus. Preparing for this presentation have opened my eyes to the benefits of ereading. Right now I was researching e-readers to buy one as soon as possibe. I am also thinking of purchasing electronic versions of the textbooks I use for my classes. E-books may make my life so much easier.
Keisha
Hi Jenaca,
That’s encouraging to find that I am not the only one that has lost my desire to pleasure-read. I have never really taken a break from being a student and find that I struggle quite a bit to focus (especially when the internet is readily available) on a book. There is always something more important to be doing it seems! I will give eReaders another shot in that it might help me re-‘Kindle’ my reading for fun (groan, poor pun).
Kristopher
Funny Kris! I too have lost the desire to read – until I go on vacation and pick up another book and then I have to read it until it is done. This week’s presentation has left me again wondering if I should go out and buy an ipad or ereader. Every time I go to the store to look at one, I walk away wondering if it really is a good purchase. If more of the texts and reading that we did in class were available online, I think that would push me into obtaining one sooner.
I’ve done my own informal investigation of the e-book market over the past few months ever since I bought my iPad last year and prior to enrolling in the MET program. I actually bought the iPad so that I could take all of my MET PDFs and scanned portions of hard copy texts to do […]
Continue reading Confessions of a self-professed gadget girl Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 06: eBooks
I’m a bit wary of some of the “pros” that are made for the ebook format. A friend of mine is involved in new media publishing, and just returned from New York where he met with publishers (his 2nd trip there). I don’t have solid numbers to back up my claim, but it is my […]
Continue reading Publishing and Opportunities Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
Thanks for the CBC link, Doug, and how could I forget to mention the Chapters/Indigo Kobo – how un-Canadian of me!
Great comparison between the eReader that will win the battle like VHS, which I would add won the battle of analogue video, but lost the war to digital video. When the same battle between HD DVD and Blu Ray was supposedly raging a couple years ago, lots of movie studios were unsure which way to go, as they didn’t want to invest on the losing side. WIthout having a large selection of content to offer, eReaders seem to be dragging behind. Once more news outlets embrace the digital environment, daily newspapers or weekly magazines will be on the frontlines for eBook market.
Hi Kyle,
Beta or VHS? The whole proprietary lock of different brands of e-readers being compatible with certain text formats definitely directed my purchase of the Sony, and my use of the software Calibre. For example, BC has an online library that is accessible through our city library and library card. Through this website one may borrow Adobe EPUB eBooks, Adobe PDF eBooks, OverDrive WMA Audiobooks, and OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks. While all e-readers seem compatible with PDF’s, Kindle does not support the EPUB format, which on my Sony, seems to have the “best” formatting. To address this issue, the desktop software, Calibre, will convert most any format to that desired for a huge number of e-reader brands.
However, it is this plethora of brands and e-book formats that would make me hesitate to dive into the ereader market, if I were purchasing for a school board. It seems that you would either have to have an idea of what titles schools wanted to buy, and work backwards from there, or a magic ball to foresee which device and text formats are left after the market dust settles. For my money, I would guess that an Apple product would be the best bet, as its iBook works on a variety of formats, and many people already possess a compatible device. Time will tell!
Hi All,
I like how you set up the technological warfare. It will only be time before existing technologies are replaced. It’s just a natural phase. That’s the main reason I don’t think we should treat older technologies as outcasts because of the arrival of new ones. Every technology was valuable during its time and should be treated accordingly.
Everton
Good comparison to music, Doug. I know I read in bite-size chunks, and I think my attention span overall (squirrel!) has suffered from my increased connection to digital media in the last ten years. Whether it be attention span, interests, or work, I find the only time I can sit and listen to an album (vinyl, tape, or even CD) the way I used to is in the car on the way to and from work. I never get “headphones” time with music anymore. Similarly, I don’t often have the time to sit and quietly read a book for enjoyment, either. I usually find I get time to read in the car (when not driving this time) or when waiting at an office or something.
The format size of things is changing, isn’t it… listening to whole albums has given way to a singles culture again. Perhaps reading is doing the same. Maybe I read in “singles” – bite-size bits I can skim through.
I wonder about this headphones component, too. How headphones could better connect you with an album and block out distractions. What would be the equivalent for a book? A quiet room with a lamp? An eReader with no web browser?
Recently I invested on iPad 2. One of the most common uses that I have been giving to the iPad is reading and making annotations about the articles and resources I need for MET courses. I synchronize my docs from my computer to the iPad through DocsToGo. I read and make annotations about these articles through […]
Continue reading My experience with eBooks Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
I’ve been reading MET documents on my IPad since last year and it’s been great except I couldn’t do the annotations. I had heard that there was ‘an app for that’ as they say but hadn’t been able to find it. Thanks Angela! I also didn’t know that you could classify the PDFs in iBook so mine are a big mess. These were my two biggest obstacles to going fully to the Ipad from previously working on my laptop. Thanks for sharing.
– Julie
Hey Angela and Julie,
You are both making me want to buy an Ipad. I recently bought a Kobo but am wishing it had more uses than just reading. I am an apple fanatic and live for my Macbook…Maybe my next purchase will have to be the Ipad:)
Thanks,
Jenaca
Things like synchronizing docs between one device and the next is an incredible ability. Doing this and things like making highlights, underlines, notes, etc., was something I never thought of eReaders being able to do until recently. They’ve suddenly started to sound much more useful.
Its funny – when I started the MET (in 2008) I printed off my whole courses, all readings, sat with a highlighter, and took notes. I have a few full binders from those courses. Now, I print off almost nothing. I organize everything online. I don’t even use Word anymore. The ipad makes everything so much more user friendly. I love enlarging and reducing font with finger swipes.
Emily
I have never owned a device marketed solely as an e-reader device. I have owned a lot of handheld devices, though. One of my favourites was a Palm t|x. It currently sites somewhere in a box in my basement, its battery completely drained… dead. But, it was great. It was the first portable device I […]
Continue reading e-reading and me Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
Hi Jim,
The convenience and portability of e-devices are what I cherish, as well. It is great to always have something to read/browse with you. Never a dull moment! I find that surfing the time away is like eating junk food – I’m often left with a feeling that I’ve wasted time, whereas reading a novel switches my brain to a different mode, one that is more relaxing. I know I’m old school…
Hi Jim,
Thank you for sharing your iPad experience. I’ve been using iPhone since 3 years ago and can’t live without it. I recently gave up buying a tabletPC from HP, becuase the shipping took way too long and I could manage my classes without it. Now I’m thinking of purchasing either iPad or eBook reader just for my personal use, so I wanted to hear from others their experience.
Now that I know that you have iPad, I’m wondering if you use iPhone. The reason I’m asking is because I thought until recently that iPad wasn’t necessary for an iPhone user as the functions are very similar. So I’d like to hear your opinion. As an iPad user, how is it different from using an iPhone (if you happen to use iPhone as well)?
Deb
Totally agree about the ipad2 being ubiquitous. My husband always has ours with him – obviously I need my own. He takes it to bed, to the tub, everywhere. Literally.
I think all students will have tablets within a couple of years. The price is right, the convenience is there, and so is the functionality.
Emily
I share a number of the same experiences with Brenda regarding my e-reader. I first bought a Sony PRS-600 after seeing my husband enjoy his Aluratek Libre for under $100 at Costco. We had just come back from Palm Springs and, like Brenda, had paid $50 for being 5 kg overweight in our luggage. Both […]
Continue reading I <3 my e-reader! Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
I bought a Sony PRS-300 a couple of years ago. What pushed me over the edge was going on trips, packing a few books, and then reading them all and not having anything left to read. Since buying my Sony, I’ve read a lot of books while commuting, camping, and traveling through SE Asia. I also used the Sony for reading some papers for MET, although pdfs are not eReader’s strong suit. I also use Calibre to manage my library.
The 5″ size of the PRS-300 is wonderful to me. I’m a fast reader, but I still find it very efficient to read on the smaller screen. I don’t have a problem with page flips. The extra portability (I can carry the reader in my pocket) is great.
I am surprised at the votes for the Kindle. Considering the education context along with Kindle’s proprietary book format, I think it makes more sense to go with the Kobo. I’ve read lots where people have wanted to do markup and make notes with their ereader, which means that the Kindle and its keypad would be nice. I’ve never wanted to do that, and I’ve never actually seen anyone do that.
cheers
Doug
We purchased Kindles for our schools for one reason – it was the only ereader that had text to speech at the time – which was necessary for some of our weakest readers. We tried 6 different models before we settled on the Kindle.. I would have preferred the Kobo (we are supposed to Buy Canadian as much as possible, but the Kobo did not have the needed feature.
That’s interesting that you’ve used e-readers in this manner with your students, Brenda. How are they receiving them? Do you all read aloud together at times, or are the students reading silently on their own? Have you seen a difference with the text to speech? I am interested in text-to-speech apps/plugins for browsers to use for Internet research with our weak readers, as well.
Interesting point on the text-to-speech. A local school was going to do a class tablet project/test, but there were problems with having to download apps at home (maybe they wouldn’t work through the school’s server/filter), and perhaps costs.
I dream of the day kids all have their own mobile/tablet (whether it be personal or school-given) that they can read on, do research with, etc.
We’ll have to get wireless to be commonplace before that happens, though.
Hey Karen and Doug,
I recently bought a Kobo and love it! I specifically bought it to read eBooks on. I really haven’t used it for any other purpose because I like using my MacBook for typing and searching the internet.
I am very interested however in the Ipad 2. I think this is a great technology device that truly has included all aspects of learning…Reading, typing, using files and software…
What do you think about it?
Jenaca
Hello All,
From what I have been reading, many users of ebooks use it mainly because of its every useful to take your book with you anywhere you go without the stress of “weight” and also its each of use. However, what are some of the features you would like ebooks to have in the future that would help you in your everyday lives?
Keisha
*Corrections to previous post*
From what I have been reading, many users of ebooks use it mainly because it very useful for taking your books with you anywhere you go without the stress of “weight” and its ease of use. However, what are some of the features you would like ebooks to have in the future that would help you in your everyday lives?
Keisha
Hi Keisha,
Regarding future capabilities of e-readers, I think I would use hyperlinks to multimedia, especially in historical fiction or non-fiction where you want to find out more about context. Obviously, a networked e-reader would be a necessity for that. As well, links to related novels and reviews from other readers, perhaps via sites like Shelfari .
Interesting question,
KJ
Hi Karen,
Is the attached picture the one from Sony that you mentioned? Wow, it looks cool. I especially like that it has a small lamp to help you read a novel at night. I’m a little disappointed that this model is discontinued.
How does an eBook reader work? Does it have a collection of novels saved in the reader already? Or do you have to install eBook apps like the ones on iPhone/iPad?
Deb
Hi Deb,
Since my e-reader doesn’t have networking capabilities, I have to download titles to my computer, and then transfer them via software to the device. I was initially surprised that most dedicated e-readers are not backlit, and so need some sort of light at night. This type of screen, however, makes them easier on the eyes that that of a computer or iPad, I guess.
My e-reader came preloaded with 100 titles; classics from the Gutenberg project I’m sure, but I get my titles from allllll over, including the local library, although there are waits for the most popular ones! Who knew? Right now I have 40 titles from the NY Times bestseller list that I downloaded, and am working my way through the least junky ones 😉
I thought I was dedicated to paper, but I haven’t been to the library since the spring. Similar to others, I found I wasn’t reading much because of MET courses, but now I pull out the device whenever I have a spare moment.
Thanks for letting me ramble on!
KJ
Before you publish your posting, please make sure that you select a category (eg. Introductions) as well as assign some meaningful tags (keywords).
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.