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Catching up

A good amount of news today that I'm catching up with. My thoughts about the following. I do wonder about the 26 time for a library book loan for Harper Collins, this returns to the concept of who owns a bought book. If I own the book how many times can I read it? They mention in their article about the checkout shelf life of a book for a year, but as a physical book collector, I have mass market paperbacks from the 1950's that are still readable and that I do read every now and then (although I've never actually counted how many times). I think that schools using Kindles and iPads as book tools are an excellent start on the process, yes there will be problems, but I feel that the possibilities that are offered with electronic text do make it worthwhile. And having been a middle and high school teacher for 17 years, I can also say that printed copies of books had their issues too.

I know that many of my fellow teachers may have some issues as they start to use digital texts, but I would expect the same to happen with any medium change, it takes some time and practice to get used to working with a different tool, even one that is doing the same thing. I always suggest that when getting started with ebooks, start with a book that you have already read and like, and then re-read it with the new device, reducing your cognitive load and also associating the device with something that you already like.

Today's News Items

High school that gave a Kindle to every student finds success, challenges
A pilot program at Florida's Clearwater High School, which has provided every student with a Kindle e-reader this school year, is experiencing both success and challenges. The devices are enabling students to access multiple texts, take notes and study on the go. Meanwhile, administrators are working to improve technical glitches and ensure the program's future by increasing Kindle access to more traditional texts. "We feel it's had a great start," school principal Keith Mastorides said. St. Petersburg Times (Fla.) (2/26)

Textbook publishers expand e-book offerings
Textbook publisher McGraw-Hill plans to make its top 100 undergraduate titles and its medical-school tomes available on Apple's iPad using an application from Inkling. Pearson also is in talks to launch a similar project. E-textbook sales are expected to more than double to $308 million next year, with many titles accessed through tablets or e-readers. The Wall Street Journal (2/25)

iPad is part of the school-supply list at Tennessee private school
A private school in Tennessee is requiring that all students in grades 4-12 buy or lease an iPad for the 2011-12 school year. "The device comes with an easy price, is simple to use and support, and handles the vast majority of what our teachers need it to do in the classroom," the school's technology director said. The devices will be used to store digital textbooks, conduct classroom research and create interactive lessons, among other things. T.H.E. Journal (2/23)

High-school students use iPads to study Shakespeare
Students at a New York high school are taking advantage of an iPad pilot program to study Shakespeare in the classroom. Students in one English class used the iPads to read and recite scenes from "Romeo and Juliet," and were able to look up definitions, bookmark passages and take notes on the interactive devices. A related application offered students animated versions of the story and character maps to better understand the tale. "It gives us access to everything all in one place," their teacher said. The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) (2/21)

Harper Collins to restrict library e-book loans
iProgrammer
Publisher HarperCollins has revised its terms for e-book loans, limiting the number of times an e-book can be licensed for checkout to 26. "HarperCollins is committed to the library channel. We believe this change balances the value libraries get from ...

Harper Collins places limits on library lending: expires at 26 times – Pics
Examiner.com (blog)
Libraries have had to dramatically change their policies in eBook lending. After the library lends an electronic book out a total of 26 times, they will have to buy another copy. Bloggers are starting a revolt to try to eliminate this change and go ...
See all stories on this topic »


K-12 educators’ views on e-books
Some summary information from a research report survey of teachers and librarians to find out how they are using e-books, personally and in the classroom, and to identify purchasing, usage, attitudes, and trends.
2/1/2011 Tech & Learning http://www.techlearning.com/article/36164



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