Behler, Anne. "E-Readers in Action." American Libraries 40.10 (2009): 56-9. Education Full Text. Web. 7 Nov. 2010.
Behler reports on a partnership between Sony Electronics and Penn State University aimed at introducing the e-readers to the university community. Like other similar studies, I looked at, this one found the e-readers difficult to adapt to library and classroom setting. Library patrons surveyed indicated that they wished for a way to personalize the preloaded e-readers, but librarians were unable to devote the time needed for such a task. Classroom surveys were generally more positive. Students felt more immersed within the text than they did when reading print materials, although most indicated they would be hesitant to actually purchase an e-reader for themselves. The author concludes by stating that libraries are in a unique position to harvest the potential of e-readers; however, the potential is still just that: potential.
Ferriter, Bill. "The Kindle in My Classroom." The Horn Book 84.6 (2008): 641-3. Education Full Text. Web. 7 Nov. 2010.
Ferriter writes about his personal experiences using a Kindle in his classroom to promote reading. He downloaded sample chapters of twenty popular young adult novels, and he allowed his sixth grade students to sign up to use the machine during their daily reading time. He reports that not only did his students master the device quickly, they also relished the opportunity to try it out. While there were a few students who bemoaned the lack of having a real book in their hands, the Kindle experiment was a huge success. Many of Ferriter’s reluctant readers were excited about reading for the first time. Also, many of the students talked about how useful it would be to have their textbooks preloaded onto a Kindle so that they wouldn’t have to lug around all those heavy books. Overall, this article offered a few solid ideas of how to use a Kindle effectively in the classroom.
Harland, Pam. "The High School Book Club—Now With Kindles!." Teacher Librarian 37.5 (2010): 57-9. Education Full Text. Web. 7 Nov. 2010.
This article about a high school book club that experimented with the Kindle, is made up in large part of actual quotes from the students. The author, Pam Harland, loaned the Kindles to the book club in order to obtain the club members’ feedback. She got plenty. Overall, the members raved about the device, and from the sound of things, they read more than ever using the Kindle. Several members mentioned reading dozens of books, and one even said her parents would be purchasing her one because they had never seen her read so much. Of course, there were some negatives, mostly from members who loved the traditional feel of paper books. Overall, there was some good insight in this article, although the practical application for libraries and classrooms is limited.
Kiriakova, Maria, et al. "Aiming at a Moving Target: Pilot Testing Ebook Readers in an Urban Academic Library." Computers in Libraries 30.2 (2010): 20-24. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 7 Nov. 2010.
A group of librarians at the Lloyd-Sealy Library in New York attempt to determine if e-book readers are a wise investment for libraries in this well documented, but hardly extensive study. They begin with an informal survey with a group of incoming college freshman. After allowing the freshman to play with the ebook readers for about fifteen minutes, nearly 85 percent stated they would prefer reading with an e-reader than reading with a regular book. Next, the authors analyze two models of e-readers with library use in mind. Here, the results are not nearly as positive. The authors see many potential problems in integrating e-readers into the library environment, including difficulties in formatting a device intended for individual use. The authors conclude by determining that investing substantial funds into a technology that is still in a state of constant flux is not the most prudent thing to do.
Larson, Lotta C. "Digital Readers: The Next Chapter in E-Book Reading and Response." Reading Teacher 64.1 (2010): 15-22. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 7 Nov. 2010.
Larson deftly explains how e-readers can advance literacy by “offering new avenues for accessing and interacting with a wide array of texts.” Larson begins by pointing out that e-readers offer students a chance to interact with “multimodal” texts, something that has traditionally been missing from most classrooms. Larson’s actual study focuses on two second grade girls, Amy and Winnie. Both girls were given a Kindle and assigned the same book to read. After analyzing the data, Larson found that using e-readers in the classroom promotes new literacies and invites students to engage with the text. Furthermore, Larson discovered that through examining the girls’ responses using the note-taking feature, she was able to gain insight “into each girl’s reading behaviors and comprehension skills.” Larson concludes that e-readers show potential for helping struggling readers through the features included that allow readers to truly interact with the text.
