What are eBooks?
EBooks are books that are available in digital format.
EBooks provide an alternative to paper books and for those comfortable with technology it’s an exciting facet, allowing books to be distributed and enjoyed so much more easily. EBooks have many exciting features not present in traditional books: You can
• Get instantaneous delivery (from instant coffee to instant books) E-books can be purchased or downloaded anywhere your e-reader device can get a connection to the Internet. You don't need to go to a book store or order a new book online and wait for it to arrive. You can surf your options online and have the new book in a matter of seconds and they are cheaper than the printed books.
• Help the environment by not using paper or requiring packaging (community service?) the world can be a greener place
• Save space and time as your library (clutter) won't need its own room, and a quick search of your e-reader can locate the title you're looking for in seconds (organized eh!).
• Search through the text for a specific word or phrase, and there is a built in dictionary – no longer do you have to skip the word and never get back to it later!
• Add digital bookmarks, change the text size, highlight and annotate the book , or research footnote references with a single click
• Effortlessly carry hundreds of eBooks- your whole library a click/touch away so you do not have to choose which book to carry. The standard Kindle can hold up to 1,500 books--certainly enough to keep you busy while commuting to work (on the bus not driving, duh), or even on an extended trip
• Use them for involving children reading- there's animation to encourage, motivate and engage the chidren
I agree with your comments; and have you ever wondered about the impact of ebooks on reading? I think that ebooks can reach that part of the population who really are into technology. As reading specialists we need to incorporate this tool into our assessments and reading techniques. Technology offers new hope for educating struggling readers. It is the opening up of education that ultimately makes a flatter or a more robust economic world possible. In the twenty-first century, education trumps economy as the key card to participation in the world. It is education, after all, from which robust economies are built. So when there are momentous shifts occurring in education, they must be explored, documented, grasped, and exploited.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with that very detailed and informative literature on EBooks.It is the panacea for me to improve my home environment (library). In addition, as a reading specialist it is important to be cognizant of the available and most recent technology so that we will be able to incorporate same in if we are to make a positive difference in our society.
ReplyDeleteHi Ghina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments totally. This is one of my favourite web 2.0 tools because it really caters to Gardner's (1991) theory of Multiple Intelligences. Using this tool in the classroom offers tremendous opportunities for students to interact with print in a more meaningful way and so increase motivation and learning in the classroom. For students with physical and learning disabilities, this tool can be very helpful. Think about the possibilities for a student like Vera Bhajan, the girl without arms.
Great blog, loved your caption.
ghina
ReplyDeletewhat a brilliant discovery.I'm all for saving.Save paper,time energy,money(no maid to clean dusty bookshelves).However we may create addicts and couch potatoes.There is no need to even get up from your chair to look for a dictionary(Always misplacing dictionaries at my home).Just kidding I believe the positives far outweighs the negatives.
starstruck