There has been considerable speculation about the impact mobile reading devices such as the iPad and Kindle could eventually have on Textbook usage. One of the main critiques of PDF readers has been the users inability to mark up, take notes, and highlight these documents. When a book is on paper it's much easier to make notes all over and personalize the pages.
A new version of Goodreader allows ipad and iphone users to do just that. The upgraded app allows users to annotate their pdfs. Users can add comments on the document with sticky notes, as well as highlight, draw, and underline to their hearts content. These notes are saved on the document and can be edited later. Readers can cut and paste portions of the text onto their clipboard, which can then be inserted into other documents.
I think this is an exciting development. Unlike textbooks, which in the K-12 environment are usually banned from being written on, these PDFs can be written on as much as is desired. Textbooks are a great expense for schools, and perhaps some costs could be reduced by purchasing an electronic version of the text.
Do you think applications such as Goodreader are a viable replacement for school textbooks? Do you think this would be a more useful application for higher ed rather than k-12? Do you think it could be cost effective and practical over a period of several years assuming the expense of purchasing an ipad or other e-reader for each student?
I think this is one of the most highly debated topics in technology and education. Personally, I don't think e-books are good replacements for school textbooks. For some reason i feel less distracted when I have a paper text book infront of me. With the invention of things like the ipad and kindle, they can be used for more than just reading. They provide multiple distractions such as games and internet browsers. I know that it's heavily dependent on the user, but with a textbook those temptations aren't as apparent as they are on an e-reader.
ReplyDeleteAs far as being more useful I think that it has it's pros and cons in both ends of the education spectrum. For k-12 it's excellent in the fact that all of these textbooks can be consolidated into one small unit. This way students backpacks aren't heavily weighed down by multiple texts. Other than that I think it may be a distraction or provide students with an easy out to homework. "My dog ate my homework" turns into my "ipad froze." On the higher ed side of the spectrum I see these as beneficial in a similar way by consolidating books. However the con here, for me, is the note taking ability. I'd just feel more comfortable being able to take notes with pen and paper, or in my actual text book, rather than having to risk losing it in a technology malfunction.
I think the invention of these e-readers will be wonderful tools, and maybe the younger generations will be able to adapt to them better. However for me I don't think I will ever quite trust the e-reader, nor be content with it's note taking abilities.
I think there are some definite pros and cons regarding this subject. On one hand, I do think it would be cost-effective and beneficial to just have the one iPad or Kindle to keep track of, instead of carrying multiple books home each night. On the other hand, we have to keep in mind that since these will be used by children, there may be a bit more concern regarding damage, misplacement, etc. than with adults.
ReplyDeletePossibly at the high school or college level, it may be best. However, if some sort of similar piece of technology was developed especially for children (more durable, unbreakable screen, more kid-user-friendly) then I would absolutely love to see that in schools.
While the advances in annotation capabilities are doubtless nice, I don’t think this technology can replace the textbook. I have the kindle version of the textbook for this class, and honestly, not being able to mark the text doesn’t bother me. My use of such features would probably be the same as the ability I do have to highlight sections & “dog-ear” pages. I don’t ever reference those highlighted/dog-eared sections though, because it’s not really possible to “flip” through the book. With traditional textbooks, when I need to reference something, I usually remember that the material was “next to the picture of the duck,” or “in that weird shaped paragraph,” or “2/3rds of the way through the text.” This isn’t really possible with a digital textbook. While I can use a find feature, its use is dependent upon me remembering a unique word in or around the desired content. If I were to search for “sound” for example, I’d get over 600 potential hits to cull through. I imagine that this would be the same with the additional digital content in the Googlereader. And, while digital texts are convenient, I find I process information better in paper format anyway.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Devri, for me a digital version of a textbook could never replace the real thing. Although features for annotating have become much more advanced with highlighting, underlining and commenting, I am very visual, and the mass amounts of text on a computer screen just don't help my memory. I have to be able to really flip to the page as Devri discussed.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting time for this subject to come up because, while working on my Lit review, I tried to utilize the PDF format of a number of research articles (to save on paper and ink!). This was such a disaster! I have a system when I write a paper like this, a certain way to lable each article, certain color coded tabs for different quotes...it's a little crazy but it works! (I finally broke down and printed out a billion pages of research!)
However, if kids are introduced to this type of learning from the beginning perhaps they would develop a "system" of how to utilize textbooks/readings electronically. I think that a happy medium here could be the use of paper textbooks, but a online or digital companion (as many companies are already doing)
I don't think we're there yet at a massive scale to be completely writing off textbooks and replacing with ebooks. There are too many issues abound: cost, viable source of content?, variations on tablets (not just having an iPad, and the seer lack of knowledge people have working with the technology. I think for these reasons and many more (unforeseen) we'll not be replacing paper with electronic anytime soon. However, this is a valid point of referring to annotating PDFs and basically marking up the text without damaging future paper resources. I love the idea and think that this is probably where the future lies. But again, massive adoption also requires massive education and cost. We're not a small country by any means and this would require some serious reworking of the system. However, I do like Jessica's response of incorporation of the iPad into the higher levels (college and high school). I completely agree and actually I think if we're going to make replacements it should start from the top down so for more practical reasons of testing out the methods and cost.
ReplyDeleteI TOTALLY agree with Jess L. My kids this year are TOTAL slobs. I love them but we lose everything. We go through at least 25 pencils a day, we lose our homework on the bus, etc. I think I would have a nervous breakdown giving my children an IPAD and expect them to take care of it. However, I must remember that I teach 8 year olds not high school children.
ReplyDeleteNow would this work on the higher end? Probably. I think some major paperwork would have to be filled out. Almost something like a contract. The students are loans the IPAD but have inspection dates to make sure they are working properly, being taken care of, etc.
I know my county adopts new textbooks every 6 years. Would this be so with the digital textbooks. Would you use the same book for 6 years and then upgrade? I guess ducks would have to be in a row.
I do not own one but I have heard that books are much cheaper on a Kindle. It would save the school divisions lots of money. However, a large factor would be in where you teach. Do the children have home lives where these pieces of technology would be taken care of? It just seems like a lot of factors to consider.
I still like using textbooks, however it's hard to find one specific to each child's reading level. Textbooks are something I don't feel I have to stress about-their big and easy to locate and the kids are used to them. Not saying that change isn't good-just don't know if elementary classrooms are ready for that.
One thing I love is the READING A-Z website. All their books are projectable now. I can show them on my smartboard. They come in multilevels and save me from running numerous copies on paper. This is the closest thing to a KINDLE I'm using right now.
Being someone who has always been terrified of writing in textbooks, I think this is a great development. Although I believe it should be used in conjunction with text books, the idea is still a great one. I would suggest the usage to begin in k12, simply because that is where I developed my fear of writing in books! By teaching students from the beginning that they can go home, read these books electronically, and make notes within the text, it may help them to develop better study skills for the future.
ReplyDeleteAs for the cost-effectiveness and practicality of it all, I am not so sure. Many school systems would probably have to either do actual text books or the electronic version-not both. And the initial cost would be extremely high, as well as updates when new editions are released, or technology becomes outdated. The alternative would be to have these used in the classroom, however it would take away from actual instruction. Perhaps they could be media center resources, where students could at least learn how to use the technology, so that if and when it becomes available on a larger scale they are not completely oblivious of the capabilities.