Wednesday, July 11, 2012
922-Session 8--eReaders
This week we are focusing on eReaders. Our session is linked in the left hand margin. The syllabus has recently been updated so be sure to view it and check out this week's new required readings. In your comments this week on our blog, please share your thoughts and experiences about your e-book reader preferences in the comments below, and also do your own research (try to visit a store and test a few out, sometimes you need a push like this to get you some hands-on experience) and include a nugget of info that I didn’t cover this week to share with your peers. Next week we’ll delve into the merits of using these devices for education. There is a lot of info here comparing and contrasting. Don't get too worried if you can't retain it all. Just save these links and use them for future reference and take plenty of notes.
Have fun exploring this week.
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23 comments:
I haven't read everything yet, but I know a couple of considerations for me, when buying my Kindle, was which company's longevity did I trust the most, and which one did I think I'd stick with.
Years ago (almost a decade), I bought my first handheld, and was very excited to be able to start getting ebooks. I looked over the available options, and went with the one I thought would be the best for me.
However, I failed to look to the future, and I'm now stuck with many ebooks I can't read. I would have done better to pick a format that could cross platforms.
Crossing platforms isn't as big a problem now, because there are apps that fit. If I switched back to PC products, there is a Kindle App, so I could still read my books on whatever I had.
However, I trust Amazon to last longer in these changing times, because they were created out of those changes. Barnes and Noble is a wonderful company, and I love to visit their stores, but I know they are struggling, too. I'm not saying they'll go under as Borders did, by any means. In fact, once they find their feet, they may be stronger than ever. Still, I trust Amazon a little bit more, and ultimately that's why I went with a Kindle over a Nook.
Other factors went into the decision, but they've been covered by the readings, and we were supposed to mention something new. I may have more when I've done the rest of the readings, but I didn't want to forget this one.
There was an article in eschool news this week that relates to our topic this week. It lists seven alternatives to the ipad: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/07/06/seven-ipad-alternatives-for-schools/
My husband has a Nook reader for personal use that he really likes. He used it especially when he was working on his dissertation and liked the fact that it didn't have the distraction of having internet access.
I use an ipad through school. I really like having a reader that is also able to do several things that a computer can do. As a school system we haven't had great personal service in using them, but the machines themselves are really great and make technology really accessible for younger students. From what I've seen, there are more apps available through the ipad.
The greatest drawback that I find with them is that Adobe flash doesn't work. It would be nice to find a device on which you can use Adobe flash and have lots of educational app choices.
I played around with a Kindle Fire at Staples and liked that you could access the internet as well as use it as an e-reader.
You bring up an important consideration, Kaline, in terms of thinking of which companies will be around in the future when making decisions. I've also heard some people always wait to buy the second model of a new product, e.g. those who waited and bought an ipad 2 got a lot more features, since Apple really learned a lot from feedback about the ipad 1.
One of my professors in library school put it this way, "...in trying to keep up with technology it is better to be on the cutting edge, but not the bleeding edge..." In other words, you don't want to lose a lot of money by buying products that are in the beginning phases of development and may not be enduring products.
msandrada, there is an App to give you access to Adobe flash. It's actually a browser, and it does cost a little money.
It's called iSwifter, and costs $4.99. It says it's free, but that deceptive. You actually get 10 minutes of use per day for seven days, then you have to pay for it.
I've only just discovered it, so I can't say too much about it, however, it has worked for me so far.
There is another one I haven't tried yet, solely for educational content. It's called Rover. It's also a browser and it streams educational Flash content.
msandrada, you bring up a good point too, about not getting things too soon after they come out. When I was a PC user, I always tried to avoid getting something that had the newest OS because there was always so many bugs and products that wouldn't work with the newest software.
Of course, the trouble these days is that things are changing so quickly. There are changes and improvements every year. Right now, Apple is talking about an iPad mini - all the features of an iPad at the size of a Kindle Fire or Nook. Cheaper than a regular iPad, too.
Apple's also talking about making laptops with iOS, which I would love. So far, those are just rumors, Apple isn't confirming or denying - they never do - but it does go to show how quickly technology around us is changing. It's a challenge to keep up with it.
Kaline,
Thanks so much for sharing the apps. I hadn't heard of the paid one. I'll look into both of them!
Speaking of apps, what do you use to help you find good ones? I heard recently of a couple of hashtags on Twitter that I'm going to explore and am really interested in finding out if there's anything professional with app reviews like the journals I use to look at book reviews.
Lori
msandrada,
To tell the truth, I don't look for reviews. I tend to search the App store itself, and I've found a few by accident with searching the web for other things.
However, I have found an online article that is a reviews of the author's top 5 picks for the best iPad App review sites.
If you're interested, you can take a look here.
There is another list, with the top ten sites for reviews of Educational Apps. And, another site that looked really good for educational apps, called Teacher Reviewed Educational Apps for 2012.
Good luck. I hope you find some great ones.
Where the heck did my last comment go? It was filled with several links to free ebook sites and great Apps. I saw it post, because I wanted to make sure the links went through. Now, it's gone.
Well, I won't recreate it, yet, in case it's just a glitch and comes back in the next day or two. However, what I came back to add was a MOBI converter. MOBI is the Kindle format. I use the site to convert many unencrypted things into items I can read on my Kindle - pdf, documents, ebooks, etc. This site can convert things into many other formats too, though.
Anyway, the site is here: http://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-mobi
It is very easy to use, and I've never had a problem with it.
Hi Kaline,
That's so weird how your last posting disappeared. I got an e-mail about it, but it's still not listed here.
Anyway, thanks so much for sharing all of the links for ebooks and for the conversion link. It seems like you have already been using ebooks a lot. Have you used them mostly for personal use or are you using them with students (and if so, which grade level students?) I'm interested in free resources for primary students (PreK-2)especially and for intermediate students as well (3-6). Last time I explored the free resources, there wasn't much that I would really use with my students, but that was at least a year ago.
Along those lines, this is such a huge area of development and I'm working on strategies with keeping abreast of new resources. Has anyone found a strategy for that yet?
Lori
Iam arriving late at the tablet/smartphone party, so I apologize if I'm a little behind the times. I don't have an IPhone or IPad, but I have read a few books on a friend's Kindle. For me, I would definitely buy one of the simpler e-readers. I'm too cheap to spend hundreds of extra dollars just to have one more device I can use to check my Facebook, use Nexflix, or play Angry Birds. I'm also less likely to actually get any reading done if my tablet can do all of those other things. I also prefer an e-ink screen because I like to read outside.
If my school was considering buying tablets for all students, I'd wonder if it's possible to buy a simple e-reader rather than a full tablet. I realize that full internet access might be necessary to access programs such as CK12 and Curriki, mbut I also worry about not being able to limit what students can use these devices for. I already have far too many students who text or look at FaceBook with smartphones during class, and it's already very difficult to police these things. If every student could access these distractions with a device that WE gave them, this could be a huge issue.
I hope I'm not dragging us too far off topic, but I'm wondering how the group feels about the use of audiobooks in class. Like E-readers, They've become very accessible in recent years. Many students' IEPs also specify that they should be given access to audiobooks. I'll post a link to an article to espouses the virtues of using audiobooks in the classroom.
http://www.edutopia.org/listening-literature
While I agree with the idea that reading along with the text can help struggling readers, I'm deeply conflicted about the growing use of audiobooks in classrooms. Too often, I find that students simply close their books and rely solely on the audio. This might get them access to the content, but it won't help them become better readers. In fact, having the option to not physically read the texts could severely stunt their progress in reading. Obviously, I provide audiobooks if it's specified in students' IEPs, but I'm never sure exactly what their role in the classroom should be.
I think my favorite comment so far this session was from msandrada about being on the cutting edge, not the bleeding edge!
Personally I have a kindle, not because I did the research and made an informed decision, but because that is what my mom got me for my birthday one year. I will say that I am happy with the acess through Amazon and can appreciate Kaline's comments about the possible longevity of Amazon as a plus.
So my own device is a kindle, but my school is purchasing iPads, so I am working on that platform also.
It did seem to me that the reviews and discussions are throwing around prices and access with little consideration. For the student population in my district, this will be a huge factor in any purchases, both in the price of a device and in the cost of coverage. I would anticipate more going with a wifi capable device, most are not going to be going with a 3G option.
Finally, School Library Journal is including a feature each month on the Apps of the Month. Here is a link to the kick off issue:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/reviews/digitalresources/893002-315/best_of_apps__enhanced.html.csp
I have limited internet access, because I am visiting family on Cape Cod in a house with no internet (at a Starbucks right now). I brought my Kindle with me, and it's not working. This is my third one that has died. I baby them too. I don't drop them or get them wet or anything. At least Amazon has been very good about replacing them for free, but it's frustrating that I will need to request my FOURTH Kindle.
Josh, I think that your concern about relying exclusively on audio books is a very valid concern. I think that even with severe limitations, everyone is capable of making improvements in reading by actually practicing reading. I suppose the risk, however, is kids getting to a place where reading is so difficult and frustrating that they will end up simply hating it.
Sorry to see that you lost your post, Kaline. It happened to me once too.
I would like to share this article I found.
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/05/for-young-readers-print-or-digital-books/
Here is a sample of the research: "Researchers found that while the multimedia features of enhanced e-books grabbed children’s attention, those same features also distracted young readers and led more to “non-content related interactions.” Features like animation, sound effects, videos, and games made it more difficult for some parents to keep kids focused on reading and diminished kids’ recall of the text. Parents continually had to tell kids not to turn the page or not to touch the tablets, according to Chiong.
The implication? Parents and teachers should choose basic e-books like the Kindle or Nook over enhanced e-books, such as the iPad, if they want a more literacy-focused co-reading experience with children. Prompting kids with questions that relate to the text, labeling and naming objects, and encouraging kids to talk about the book’s content from their own perspective all elicit kids to be more verbal, and can lead to improved vocabulary and language development, the study states."
I have little experience with mobile devices also, and am having a difficult time jumping on this particular bandwagon. I went into town on Saturday to Staples and Wal-Mart to look at readers but didn’t get very far. 2 of the 3 Nooks on display at Staples were not working. Someone came by to get me started, told me Kindles were better, pointed to where I would find them, and took off. I appreciated that the Kindle had an introduction to its product to prompt me with what to do with it, but the Kindle Fire was the only one they had. Went over to Wal-Mart where they were locked in a case and the only person in the department was swamped at the register. This is why I hate shopping.
Personally, if I were to buy one, I would prefer a basic reader with e-ink so I could read anywhere, including outside, and without Internet access to cause distractions.
As far as K-12 use goes, I have many of the same concerns that have been voiced already. The Internet does provide a distraction - and I have noticed this particularly with students in the lower level classes. Fluency in reading does require work and practice. I like that the readers have dictionaries and the ability to bookmark and take notes to keep the action of reading going. And I can see that for some people not exactly knowing how big a book is could be good. But I wonder if it wouldn’t be better just to give everybody a copy of the book to mark up and call their own - engagement and ownership. I have seen many reluctant readers proud of the fact that they read a longer book. I too like to check my progress through a book with a bookmark. You don’t have the same experience with an e-reader.
Kathleen, thanks for the link to the study at MindShift. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.
Amy, thanks for letting us know about the new column in School Library Journal. My school is also embarking on an I-pad pilot program in September, (although we don’t have them yet). This will be a good source of ideas I am sure.
Hi everyone. The conversations have been very interesting. There are two sides to the eReader issue for me. First, if textbooks could be loaded onto an eReader, I am all for it when I see my little seventh graders carrying 40 or 50 lbs of books up to my fourth floor classroom. I think the ability to highlight, take notes, etc. is great. Hopefully, students would be thinking about taking notes for their future assignments as they go. Could this be helpful in math class? Not so much. A tablet with a touch screen would be more useful in that situation because typing math onto a computer is really awful!
Josh, I understand your hesitation about embracing the audio books. I don’t know if you have ever read R.U.R. by Capek. A play about how computers eventually do all the reading and (gasp) calculating math to the extent that humans no longer know how to do either (surprisingly written in the 1920’s). I think we can maybe envision that happening when we have books that will do the reading for us. I think we need to continue to promote reading and literacy every way we can. So is the audio thing eliminating reading?
There are two ways to look at it – first there are kids who would just listen to the audio (likely the same kids who would use sparknotes/or skim the text anyway?) and there are kids who would read along with the audio because you made that part of the assignment (the kids who would read the assignment anyway). So, it’s just a question of how they get their information. In this class we have often discussed whether it matters how they get the information if they use it to write a fabulous essay. It’s about the expected outcome – if reading the book is a way for them to know the story and translating the story is the objective, does it matter if the book was read to them?
There was a case study done at CLU that was not focused on cost savings, student access or sustainability, but on learning objectives. It is a study of college level students, but I found the comments of the students in their pilot program very insightful. In particular, it is about how the use of the eReader was engaging the students and enabling them to produce a higher level of product. Here’s the link:
http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/teaching-and-learning-e-readers-case-study-clu
These students realized improvement of skills and grades.
Sorry, I got off track about the eReaders. In our house, we have a Nook, Nook Color and iPad. My husband likes his nook because it does exactly what he wanted – lets him download books. The only down side is the LED light he attaches to read in dark. Leslie, my husband agrees with you about the book mark – it is hard to know, on the nook, how far you are in the book. My daughter gave the Nook Color high marks with the exception of the glare. She says compared to her friends kindle fire, her nook has a lot of glare. But, she prefers the features of the nook better, particularly toggling between several books. She can download all of her school textbooks. She gets these through disability services at school (she is dyslexic). It is surprising the number of full texts already available this way (audio available also). I Love my iPad. However, I do not download books on it. I am afraid that I, too, feel there is just something about holding a book when I read for pleasure. I don’t mind the readers or the iPads, but the experience is not the same. The iPad has the advantage of being able to download either kindle or nook versions through the same conversion program. I actually bought it to record video instruction for my classes. No one in my house has used any of the eReaders enough to encounter any storage issues either.
Great comments this week everybody, thanks for all the added links. Kaline, I agree the MOBI converter works really well and I have used it to format many books. The conversation about which e-reader to buy is a great one. I have both a kindle and a fire (Christmas gifts), the kindle is a far better dedicated reader; lighter, smaller, better readable screen and easy to use. The fire is; heavier and has a far more reflective screen making it a tough read in the sun but it does have the bells and whistles to be so much more than a reader. Also the biggy for me is the color that the fire offers making magazines and picture books so more interesting. I am hoping that is it possible to play my fire through the computer and project picture books for my kids to share. We use Macs at school and you know how propriety they can be, I’ll get to check it out next week when we start school again. I have the kindle on my android phone (purposely got a big screen HTC for reading) and that works well for my 30 minute commute to school and it’s in color. See you all next week for the final installment.
Good points brought up so far. Josh, I have to mention that in our international school we use audio books (and RAZ kids-a computer based leveled reading program) extensively and I believe successfully. It is a way for our ESL population to acquire knowledge and concepts at grade level as well as have a model of fluent reading to practice with. The RAZ kids has a recording component that allows teachers to listen to the students reading and then work with them on miscues, fluency and comprehension. It is a popular form of homework and truly supplements our limited physical library.
Kaline, thanks for the apps and Adobe browsers for the iPad. Will definitely check them out.
As for me, in our house we have a Kindle Fire, iPad, and 2 regular kindles (we do like toys!). Each has its place and I really like the regular Kindles for outdoor reading and the feeling that someone won't steal it (as quickly as the iPad) when I am traveling. I miss books and still read them often but again being overseas and traveling the ebooks allow me to read far more than I could trying to find physical books. I really want to learn to use the iPad with students (we have a few at school but the logistics of sharing can be tricky) so am looking forward to exploring some more of the resources along that vein. I find the iPad better personally for travel in that I can do so much with it and not have to bring a computer (have left my netbook back in the US now that I have the iPad). I am working hard at not buying a case wtih keyboard so that I will use it more as it is intended.
As to the distraction factor. It is a problem but in elementary we seem to have more control over what the students use and their sneak skills have not yet been perfected. Also, I think that time management and focus are areas that we need to be working on with students today as the distraction factor is just going to get larger and larger as technology continues to develop.
A fun week of exploration for sure! In the end I feel like I'm left with more questions than answers though! I think the readers, audio books, ebooks, online subscription based programs like RAZ-kids, etc... all have a place in education. That said, I don't think any of them should ever 100% replace physical books. I think anytime that we are require our students to read, it's always important to look at the purpose or end goal. I also think the way a student learns best is important to consider. The wonderful thing about having all of these options is that while an audio book may be the tool that helps one struggling reader to actually be able to enjoy literature, others may thrive with a physical book, or may need the bell & whistles of an ipad to become engaged with text. As technology breaks down the physical walls of our classrooms and allows us to become more global learners, we need to take advantage of the options we have to provide opportunities that meet all of our students according to the way they learn best. I often wonder what would happen if schools placed students in classes according to their learning styles, rather than their age/grade. What would this mean for education? Would it be better for students and educators alike? I believe that all students have the ability to learn, but while some may thrive using ebooks & digital content, others need a more traditional experience. I tend to waiver between the two worlds. I love all the tech & am fortunate to work in a school that embraces it, but I quickly become overwhelmed trying to keep up with the changes, apps, & "next best thing." When this happens, I often find myself retreating to the security of good old-fashioned books!
I presently have an iPad 2 through my school district. My wife, after seeing how my iPad worked, decided to purchase one of the iPad 3 devices. She is department chair of the guidance department and has actually been doing a lot of the scheduling adjustments on the iPad this summer. It is far more portable than the laptops we currently have. I have used a Kindle Fire but I have difficulty with the smaller screens. As a matter of fact, when I buy laptops, I go for the biggest screen...is that an age thing?
I like having a book in hand when I read but I think this generation of learners are more accustomed to doing things electronically. Like I said before...they are already plugged in. For good or for bad I really don't know.
The concern about audio exists but I agree that the kids who would use the audio book over the text are the same ones who would access Spark Notes. I really like the idea of having someone follow the text as the audio book progresses for students with special needs.
Distractions...Squirrel! I was your typical ADHD kid in school...shiny objects distracted me and still do! However, I like the idea of enhancing textbooks with various mediums. Not everyone learns the same way. Some can read the material and learn while others needs to see it and still others need to actually do it. We all know that. Unfortunately, kids are bombarded with the multiple media representations of things that plain text is going to lose students. If the multimedia presentations in an eTextbook are relevant, it should enhance the material and not distract from it.
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