Eating Crow

My husband gave me the Amazon Kindle 2 as an early birthday gift. All I can say is "WOW." The gift of all gifts for a bibliophile like me. I can't believe I once professed an aversion to electronic books.... I simply could not imagine giving up the look and feel of a paper book. Well  here I am, eating crow.

14 Reasons to love the Kindle:

  1. The screen has a paper-like quality.
  2. The screen has no back light - no glare.
  3. Holds up to 1500 books - Imagine carrying a whole library with you anytime you want
  4. Weighs just a few ounces
  5. kindlePlays audio books and has text to speech features - if allowed by the publisher.
  6. Wireless downloads of new books in 60 seconds. I actually purchased a book while waiting at a stop light.
  7. Built in wireless connection is built in - similar to a cell phone - you do not need to provide it.
  8. Ability to add PDF documents.
  9. Bookmark your favorite pages.
  10. Allows for note-taking in the text.
  11. Collates notes from a book or all books.
  12. All books are kept in an online Amazon account - keeps track of bookmarks and notes too.
  13. Battery lasts 4 days - when Internet connection is turned off
  14. Free Kindle application available for the iPhone or iTouch - syncs last page read - Great companion to the Kindle.

Why should curriculum and school administrators care about the Kindle?

As I use the Kindle more and more, I am captivated by its potential. Student textbooks and documents all material downloaded to Kindle. What if they added short video clips, it already has audio and text-to-speech capabilities - Could we have an interactive textbook - filled with text, audio and video ---- materials all in one place for all courses? The ultimate differentiated instruction tool. I realize the Kindle cannot currently do all of these things, but I dare to dream.

Comments

kemeigh said…
And those dreams will be reality in our time... I predict.
It is a great piece of technology and if used by a savy teacher - what a great way to engage the learner of today!
April 17, 2009 at 10:55 PM
Michael Pauling said…
14 Reasons I DON'T
like the Kindle.

1. A $500+ Amazon bill
2. Constant email invoices for newly purchased books
3. Having to yell everything 3 times
4. Getting dirty looks for interrupting her reading
5. Getting told "I only have %80 more to read"
6. Let's buy a digital copy of the books we all ready have
7. Wife crying because she can't find it
8. The screaming that starts if I touch the thing
9. Now it has the blinding LCD light accessory
10. Bringing it to the dinner table
11. Long battery life
12. Spend money instantly
13. Putting the book manufactures out of business
14. My kids wondering why their mother is still staring at the thing
April 20, 2009 at 7:35 PM
Kelly Pauling said…
@ Michael....

Is this a case of Kindle envy?
April 28, 2009 at 11:16 AM
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