eTextbooks are the current trend in instructional technology right now. Last year Apple putt out their new app that lets anyone make a eTextbook this may be the norm sooner then we think. Find an article about eTextbooks to review on this blog. Please post the link to the article as well. Also let us know your opinion on the use of eTextbooks in the classroom.
38 Comments
Michelle Unnerstall
9/30/2012 12:57:22 pm
http://uksg.metapress.com/content/9y80hac8w4ynmnm9/fulltext.pdf
Reply
Lauren Noble
10/1/2012 05:24:03 am
I agree with a lot that the article had to say and with you as well. I think that etextbooks will become the future of the classroom because of the increase of technology today. I think having etextbooks available for all classes will help students in their education and studies. They'll always have a copy of the book in their back pocket, don't have to worry about always bringing a book to class and they can easily highlight information in their etextbook and print it off if they need too. I don't know of any disadvantages there would be to having etextbooks in the classroom.
Reply
Angie Richardson
10/2/2012 03:42:12 am
I think a disadvantage would be financial. What if one of your students is unable to afford a personal laptop or home computer in order to access the etextbook? He/she would have to access the computer lab on campus and would be restricted by their hours of operation therefore giving him less acess than his peers and putting him at a distinct disadvantage. I also read that etextbooks would hold restrictions such as only being able to download onto one computer.
Brittanee Jacobs
10/4/2012 04:11:42 am
I agree about students carrying backpacks full of textbooks. I love being in grad school and not needing textbooks. Carrying around a laptop or another device with e-textbook capabilities is less strenuous on the back.
Reply
Chelsea Loethen
10/4/2012 05:53:28 am
I completely agree. Etextbooks are a great way to keep our students interested as well as saving money for a school. Just like with everything else we have been talking about in this class, if we can get on the level of our students and conform to what interests them, that will help them be more successful.
Reply
10/1/2012 05:36:46 am
In my article, it talks about the advantages and benefits of eBooks/etextbooks. A few of the advantages and benefits that Sasson lists are; Ebooks are delivered almost instantaneously, no trees are required to make ebooks, ebooks can show links for more information on topic, fonts in ebooks can be resized to make it easier to read for people with disabilities, ebooks are easy to access wherever you are.
Reply
Michelle Unnerstall
10/1/2012 07:45:18 am
I never even thought about different text sizes for students to read. What a great idea for students that need that. I wonder about the cost of books verses the cost of etextbooks for students. I know the high school I went to now has Ipads and they purchase all their books on them. I wonder if costs of the etextbooks is what is holding some schools back. But, I bet schools just don't have enough in thier budget right now.
Reply
Angie Richardson
10/2/2012 03:37:58 am
http://textbooks-online-review.toptenreviews.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-e-textbooks-online.html
Reply
Michelle Unnerstall
10/2/2012 10:27:00 am
I agree with some of the comments you made. Technology always doesn't work when you want it to. Possibly the school has a set of Ipads or something for the students to check out that do not have money to buy thier own if they would like. I know for sure they would need a full time technology specialist.
Reply
Daniel Simmons
10/2/2012 11:04:30 am
I also agree with some of your points. What is nice about Ebooks; however, is if a student does not have internet access at home. They can still access the books. Some software that is compatible with apple will let you view books, even if you do not have access in your area. Once the file is downloaded, it is stored and can be viewed without having internet access. I found this out from personal experience. I own an Ipad and often read books, where internet access is not available. Another option that comes with the learning Ebooks is printing off PDF pages. For example if he teacher wants the students to read pages 1-10 PDF pages can be printed off for the students. What's nice about this developing technology, is the problems are being solved as or before more Ebooks are being released.
Lauren Robb
10/3/2012 01:35:16 am
I understand where you're coming from and used to feel the same way. I thought havng the book in my hand was classic and I liked feeling accomplished and seeing the book I just finished, then I got a kindle for my birthday and loved it. It's really easy to use and you don't have to have internet to read the books just when you download them. It's nice bc you can have multiple books stored on there at once and its super light, and durable. I think you would like all the benefits!
Reply
Angel Massie
10/3/2012 03:28:36 am
I agree that all of the kinks need to be ironed out before expecting students to tackle the etextbook "revolution". I think or quick place to print hard copies of the text or sections of the text needs to be readily available for students that want it and/or need it. I personally, have great internet service, yet every time I have to read and article, edit a paper or minutes for a meeting, I want a hard copy in front of me to mark up. This is my learning style. I have to make the physical action of highlighting and/or underlining and SEE it all at once. I know ereaders have this function, but again, it is a personal preference.
Reply
Angel Massie
10/3/2012 03:37:52 am
Also, I would like to add that I currently let my students use their personal ereaders on our library day and/or whenever they have free time to read. I provide a locked cabinet for them to keep their tablets if they choose and as long as they use it responsibly, I have no problem with this.
Becky Rose
10/3/2012 10:41:00 am
Hi Angie,
Reply
Brittanee Jacobs
10/4/2012 04:14:00 am
A lot of schools now offer devices for students to check out. For example, I know a school in northern Missouri that allows their students to check out iPads. This will allow the students to do homework or read. It's much easier for them to keep track of something like that rather than one to five textbooks. Most schools that use e-textbooks and technology rather than hard copies make sure they are being fair to all students by making the technological devices available to all.
Reply
Chelsea Loethen
10/4/2012 05:58:06 am
I think I was so caught up in the advantages of etextbooks that I forgot to pay attention to the disadvantages. I completely agree with the lack of access to a book. We do have to remember that not all students have an at home computer. Its hard to believe but it is true. I think when we do go to etextbooks this is going to have to be something we will have to look into with each and every student.
Reply
Scot Davis
10/6/2012 02:55:14 am
I see your point about someone not having a computer to access, but I do not think Internet access is required once you have downloaded the etextbook. I do believe that if classrooms should choose to use etextbooks that they should have the option of using one or the other and not just using only one specifically. I think it should be treated just a preference for a student in which they would like to have.
Reply
Kristi Harms
10/2/2012 04:20:02 am
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/02/01/Feds-Look-To-Accelerate-E-Textbook-Adoption-with-Digital-Textbook-Playbook.aspx?Page=1
Reply
Lauren Robb
10/3/2012 01:20:04 am
I really agree with this article. I believe kids can have great success with ebooks. The individual learning plan is great. This can really put emphisis on subjects that students are struggling with. I believe students will like the change up from normal books and paper assignments. Ebooks can exite them more and hopefully make them want to learn in new ways.
Reply
Angel Massie
10/3/2012 03:33:57 am
Kristi,
Reply
Daniel Simmons
10/2/2012 10:54:17 am
http://www.successconsciousness.com/ebooks_benefits.htm
Reply
Kristi Harms
10/3/2012 04:27:03 am
I just saw a news blurb on a classroom that had received a donation for ereaders and the teacher was explaining how great the ereaders were going to be for her classroom. One of the things she mentioned was that normally she would purchase 25 textbooks for her class but with the copyrights on the ereader she will be able to buy 5 copyrights and then those 5 can be shared with 5 students each. So the teacher explained that since the ereaders were donated it was actually going to help her classroom budget because she would only be purchasing 5 ereader copyrights instead of 25 textbooks.
Reply
Becky Rose
10/3/2012 10:50:54 am
Hi Daniel,
Reply
Aaron Schroeder
10/2/2012 11:44:00 am
http://www.lybrary.com/free_ebooks/pros_and_cons_of_ebooks.pdf
Reply
10/3/2012 01:02:04 am
This article talked a lot about how ebooks and ipads in the classroom will be the next big thing. It talked about the pros and cons of ebooks. For example it said classes such as english and literature classes would be great with ebooks because you do so much reading normal books rather than textbooks. Other classes such as mathematics and accounting that deal with a lot of numbers, graphs, and charts that would be a little more difficult to read and get information on an ebook. The article also commented on the argument that students would be more distracted with ipads and ebooks but they argued that kids are distracted already sending texts, talking, and getting on the internet. I think ebooks would be a great benfit in the classroom. The world is advancing with new technology everyday and the students need to be prepared.
Reply
Lauren Robb
10/3/2012 01:02:56 am
http://singularityhub.com/2011/04/07/etextbooks-and-educational-apps-ipads-enter-the-classroom/
Reply
Kristi Harms
10/3/2012 04:31:04 am
I agree too that ereaders and digital technology is the future and we should prepare our students to live in the world around us and that means changing with technology and keeping curriculum current and relevant. I thing the digital technology will allow for more individualized learning for every child and therefore open up greater opportunities for learning and growth.
Reply
Angie Richardson
10/3/2012 11:11:58 am
I can definately see how ebooks and ipads would be beneficial to students and teachers in english and literature classes. The students could download classics without having to lug around 700 page paperbacks.
Reply
Mike Tzianos
10/7/2012 08:18:44 am
I also agree that technology in the classroom is, and will remain in the future. Having tools such as an ebook or an ipad is beneficial for students because of there portability. Only carrying one electronic device rather than 3-4 books will help a lot.
Reply
10/3/2012 03:21:38 am
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/students-find-e-textbooks-clumsy-and-dont-use-their-interactive-features/39082
Reply
Mike Tzianos
10/7/2012 08:40:29 am
Hi Angel,
Reply
Brittanee Jacobs
10/3/2012 06:05:26 am
http://www.sfgate.com/business/investopedia/article/Print-Textbooks-Vs-E-Textbooks-3863049.php
Reply
Lauren Noble
10/3/2012 08:37:39 am
I think in the long run if you add up all the money you spend on textbooks and then compare it to the costs of etextbooks, I think the etextbooks will be cheaper in the long run. As students we all know we'll buy a book for $200-400 dollars and the book store will buy it back for $90 dollars. I'd rather pay $80-100 for an etextbook that I can always keep than to lose 3/4 of my money on an old textbook I'll have to return.
Reply
Scot Davis
10/6/2012 02:59:46 am
I agree with how you feel about etextbooks, they are very easy to use and carry. I think in the near future everything will have a computer style text and not nearly as many books, which we have already started going that way. Personally, I do not know if I will use the etextbooks since I will be graduating and going into high school and I doubt high schools will use and etextbooks in the near future. But I think that it is a very nice option to have for any student.
Reply
10/3/2012 10:25:52 am
"Education chief wants textbooks to go digital"
Reply
Aaron Schroeder
10/6/2012 12:46:42 pm
I had a PD day this past Friday and the speaker actually talked about ETexts. She was very much against their usage. She believes Etexts will ultimately cause students to read less than they do already. She complained about the ease of looking up answers without reading. She also argued that the student will be less likely to take notes or go back over a section (not sure how much students do that now).
Reply
Scot Davis
10/4/2012 02:42:19 am
http://textbooks-online-review.toptenreviews.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-e-textbooks-online.html
Reply
Prof. Myers
10/4/2012 04:11:20 am
Lost of good conversation this week. Just a couple of things I want to put out there.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Class BlogThis blog is for class conversations for Ed 514 at Central Methodist University. We invite input form other teachers about how they use technology in their classrooms. Archives
March 2015
Categories
All
|