Houston Community College has been running a pilot program using the Kindle instead of printed textbooks in some of their English and philosophy courses.Local Paper
I learned about this from the Houston Chronicle, Fort Bend Edition. I was amused by the remarks attributed to professor Doug Rowlett, Ph.D., Instructional Design Coordinator/English professor. In the article, Rowlett described the Kindle this way: "The e-ink (electronic paper) technology works like an Etch-a-Sketch device."
Maybe the toy connection is why we writers like to embrace gadgets like the Kindle. I mean, I loved my Etch-a-Sketch. I even watched a program last week on toys that told how that cunning little device works.
The rest of the article gave the basics of how the Kindle works. All you Net denizens know this so I won't waste time on those specs.
At the end of the semester, the students involved and the teachers will render an analysis to see if the Kindle should be made available for other classes. Apparently, some conclusion has already been reached since they already plan to make Kindle available for science classes next semester.
Takeaway Truth
I hear the death knell sounding for hard copy textbooks. The strained backs of students, past and present, will thank you.
If you hold your textbook upside down and shake it, you don't lose everything you have.
ReplyDeleteI always bought used textbooks, if I could. They were not just cheaper, but they were already highlighted.
Given the price of textbooks and their weight, a Kindle sounds attractive, but not when you think about it very long. The expensive part of an education is the time and the tuition required for the courses, not the textbooks. When it becomes possible to scribble notes in the margins, Kindle will look a lot more attractive, but I suspect that isn't going to happen anytime soon.
But if someone wants to give me a Kindle for Christmas (and the money to buy new books), I promise to be very appreciative. Textbooks have different requirements, but Kindle sounds wonderful for pleasure reading.
Oh, oh. Me too. Me too. If someone wants to give me a Kindle for Christmas, I'll also be very appreciative because I'm not going to buy one until the winner is declared in the electronic reader wars.
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