Himelfarb EMAT515 Blog

This semester in EMAT 515 I have learned to use a few new programs and also how to more effectively utilize some programs with which I am familiar. The most useful learning has been related to using the web to communicate with students. Learning to blog, make treasure hunts, and create a google site means that I will be able to use these tools in increase student achievement and also to share information with colleagues. The class has been more about being made aware of some technologies and their uses in the classroom than learning how to use them. The take home message from this class has been that technology in the classroom is about improving achievement more than the technology. We don’t use smart boards or PowerPoints because they are easy or fun but because they can be utilized in a way to increase student achievement. In my classroom I hope to use technology to keep students interested and actively participating with the content. I am especially interested in interactive PowerPoints, blogging, websites, and Turning Point. The class has provided a great repertoire of technologies to use in the classroom along with effective uses but also increased confidence to experiment with technology which will be invaluable when figuring out the best ways to use technology to help students learn.

XKCD (2009). Kindle. Retrieved 5/10/2009 from http://xkcd.com/548/

A recent article by Dennis Carter in eSchool News titled ‘New Kindle is textbook friendly’ describes Amazon Inc.’s new Kindle DX. The Kindle DX electronic reading device allows users to highlight, take notes, search school libraries, read magazines, newspapers, textbooks, and PDF files on a 9.7 inch screen with a QWERTY keyboard. The DX also has improved quality for viewing images and graphics. The Kindle DX is going to be piloted on five U.S. campuses this fall. The textbook companies Pearson, Wiley, and Cengage Learning will make books available for downloading this summer. Because e-books eliminate printing costs they are available for download at prices cheaper than paper books which could save students hundreds to thousands of dollars every year.

I think it is really great that the Kindle DX is going to be piloted in colleges this fall. I don’t think that the current version of Kindle is necessarily going to be the one that becomes widespread. For one the Kindle does not have a great web browser. If we are going for lightening the cost of textbooks for students than the Kindle could be a viable option, but if we also want to lighten the load caused by carrying your life on your back as you cross campus then the Kindle should include a good web browser. Carrying a Kindle and a lap top seems redundant. iphones have an application that can be used to read ebooks and can also access the web, e-mail, etc… The other issue with the Kindle for use on campuses is that the screens can break even when they are in the case. The potential for ultimate frisbee accidents seems high and at $489 a piece replacing the Kindle will get expensive, more so than buying textbooks. Another concern with the kindle was expressed in Steve’s blog. Steve raises the issue of equity in use of a technology such as Kindle. At such a high price it seems unlikely that all schools would have equal access to the technology. Additionally, due to the fagile nature of the product I am doubtful that students will be allowed to handle them frequently, much less take them home. In a school textbooks are costly but are not more expensive than kindles for each student. Textbooks can also last for many years. Most schools keep textbooks around for a good long time and updates to content is handled with supplemental materials. Overall I think that ebooks are the future of textbooks but are far from ready to be in today’s classrooms.