Today I will discuss the school district’s initiative to
utilize Kindle’s in one of our English dual enrollment courses. The school district
has purchased 75 Kindle’s for students to use in a classroom. The original
purpose for researching the Kindle in an educational setting (in Penn-Trafford’s
case) was the potential money savings.
The course in which the Kindle’s will be used is a dual enrollment
course that requires the students to read 25 novels throughout the course of
the year. In the past, the school
district would buy the novels for every student. After a few years of use, the school district
would have to purchase the novels again because the books would simply get worn
out. The district can avoid the
repurchasing of the books through the purchase of the Kindles. The 25 novels that are required reading are a
free download onto the Kindle. In other
words, the school district gets 25 novels placed on the e-reader for all 75
Kindles at no cost to the school district.
Additionally, the cost of the Kindle's was less than the cost of
purchasing all of the novels for the students.
The money savings aspect (of course) is a good thing. However we will also keep our eye on whether
or not students will benefit instructionally from using an e-reader. There is a
shift underway in reading habits of Americans.
E-readers (such as the Kindle) are becoming much more popular with
readers, especially younger readers. I
have even read a few books on a Kindle app. on some of my devices. I am a little old fashioned in that I still
like the look and feel of a book, but I have decided that some of the books
that I read professionally work well on an e-reader. I also like the fact that I can keep track of
my highlights (and publish them) through my Amazon account when I use the Kindle. We will monitor how the students use the
Kindle and how they will enhance instruction in the classroom. This pilot program will be interesting to
follow.
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