I have been interested in the Kindle ever since Mark Notess wrote about it. As a book lover whose first job in high school was in the Brookline Public Library, I was unable to imagine the joys of curling up with a Kindle. Disclosure: I have never even held one, although I have seen some of the competing products. And my uncle told me that he got one for my cousin, Eileen, who loves it.
Okay, so maybe I am on the fence about using a Kindle for casual reading. What about for education?
The Boston Globe reported on the use of Kindles by 200 college students given free ones by Amazon.com. They found that “some students miss the decidedly low-tech conveniences of paper: highlighting, flagging pages with sticky notes, and scribbling in the margins.” Students reportedly did not like the small keyboard and took fewer notes. They missed page numbers. It was hard to read on a dark early morning bus ride. Etc.
Pluses: the weight.
I wonder if a different design is needed to support students, and, if so, would the same one work for online students as those on campus or on the job?