E-textbooks vs. Kindle DX: What will college kids pick?

The Kindle DX is geared, among other things, toward textbooks, a potentially huge target market.

(Credit: Amazon )

Amazon announced its most recent Kindle device this week: the Kindle DX. Though it's almost identical to the original Kindle, this newer model is marketed for use with textbooks and for reading periodicals. While this seems to give the impression that Amazon has presented a more practical solution for college students, it's likely that the everyday pupil will reject this new device.

Currently, most students purchase their books on campus, where new and used copies are available, while the more frugal of us order online from Web sites like Amazon.com or eBay's Half.com. At the end of the semester, students can sell their books back to the school or to online buyback services where they receive a check for about 15 percent of the original price. For decades, this has been the routine.

More recently, however, the words "e-textbook" and "Netbook" have created a buzz around campus.

E-textbooks have been available for some time now, and are currently purchased for use on a laptop or desktop for about half the price of the print book version. Electronic textbooks are an excellent alternative to print books since with them, a student can search for a specific word or topic, copy/paste text into their coursework, comment within the textbook, and enjoy a lighter backpack.

The most popular vendor for e-textbooks, CourseSmart.com, offers all of these advantages for students with a couple of exceptions. As mentioned, while the e-textbooks are purchased at about 50 percent off the print book price, students are essentially paying for a subscription--most books can only be accessed for 180 days (the length of a semester).

Though it's not mentioned by CourseSmart, students may copy and paste parts of the textbook into a word-processing application for safe keeping. Additionally, students must choose if they'd like to download the book and view it on one computer, or access it online from any computer--they can't choose both. Since most students have free Wi-Fi around campus, there would be little reason to download a text for offline use.

Bye, bye print.

(Credit: College Jolt)

Unlike the Kindle, students can take notes on their laptop or Netbook in class, while referencing the textbook in another window. We (college students) are overwhelmed by school supplies, technology, and a busy class schedule, so when it comes to getting our life organized, we consolidate. This means keeping a calendar on our phone or laptop instead of a paper planner, taking electronic notes instead of carrying binders, and (if we are lucky enough) using our phone as an MP3 player. This leaves little room for yet another device, like the Kindle.

The Kindle DX is priced at whopping $489, a higher price point than a Netbook. Amazon has yet to release information about textbook pricing and whether they will be subscription-based; however, it has already partnered with a few major textbook publishers.

A little free, unsolicited advice, Amazon: Gives students the option to purchase non-subscription-based e-textbooks and you'd at least get our attention. While the Kindle does offer many of the same features as an e-textbook, it does not fit into a consolidated lifestyle so it's unlikely that a student would purchase a Kindle if their laptop can be utilized as an e-textbook reader.

Sorry, Amazon, many of us students don't have the space or money for your latest and greatest device.

[johninc]

Why is no one making a simple pdf reader, that runs a modified form of Acrobat Professional, where textbooks are stored on thumbdrives and students can use a stylus to makr pages and highlight text, like they do with hard copy? Lastly, the reader needs to be able to switch back and forth from one textbook to another, so referncing and "lookups" can be done. And proprietary devices (you can only buys books from one source, or pay to have them from translated another source, is just dumb. PDF people, PDF ... we've all heard of it. Is everyone in the business blind to the massive potential such a device would have? And the $300 plus price on these "incomplete toys", like the Sony Reader and Kindle, is crazy! Priced at $200 with the features I mentioned... in a short period of time, most college students would no longer use paper textbooks, especially grad students. And shortly after that time, every college student would use these.

[B-McGee]

PM me...I've had the same idea. We should build your device and topple these overpriced toys.

[pjhenry1216]

Because you'll always have to deal with the content providers. Thats why the end up being proprietary. Music finally seems to have been completely freed of its DRM days, however video is still entrenched in it (in some ways, even more so than music ever was). Digital books have only just begun becoming a relatively popular choice. It'll be a long while until it'll be DRM-free and your PDF reader can become a reality.

[PhoenixFiresky]

There are two huge issues for me, as a student, with the DX. My teachers bury me in pdf documents to read. And I'd like to be able to put my class notes on it, too.

But for it to work for me, I'd have to be able to organize the pdfs by folders, which apparently can't be done now. Otherwise, I'd end up with just a huge jumble and wouldn't be able to tell Roman history notes from Medieval history notes.

Also - and this is a deal breaker - I HAVE to be able to highlight pdf files in a way that will show up clearly on screen. The Kindle only shows highlighting as underlining, which isn't enough when quickly paging through a document looking for something - and that's in textbooks. On the pdf files, I can't highlight at all, which makes it pretty much useless because half my reading assignments come from pdf files.

It would be great to be able to get textbooks on it. But most of my textbooks aren't available on the Kindle, anyway. They're regular books, written for history buffs, and aren't available in any ebook format. But I'd buy something just to manage the pdfs, if it wasn't too expensive.

[sporty77]

The real problem I have with Kindle as a textbook is...what happens if it gets wet, lost, stolen, etc.? Based on my research, there is no eay to "back up" the Kindle's memory, so all my notes, highlights, etc., would be lost if anything happened to the Kindle. I realize I can download the books again...but that doesn't help much if I've already read them and made my notes in them. I understand the need to prevent piracy, but I think Amazon needs to consider something like Apple's computer back up system. Otherwise, the risk of losing all my notes is too great.

[pensivexxx]

make these e-books;
1 - cheaper to make education more affordable.
and
2- the kids will migrate to the most socially connected
e-books... which has Twitter or Facebook on it???

[LucidGoldfish]

Unfortunetly, the idea that with textbooks becoming cheaper, or less expensive for the student will make college more affordable is laughable. I do not say this to insult you. The reality is universities and colleges use the overinflated prices of textbooks to offset other costs, and increase their budget. If we students, I am also one of those, start buying all of our books online as ebooks or what have you, tuition is going to go up. So just keep in mind that this will never make education more affordable. If that was ever possible, then schools would be selling the books for just a slight monetary increase of the original price. If you don't believe me, look at what the school pays you for a used book, and then what it sells it for. Or see how much that textbook costs at Amazon. (the hardcopy, not for the reader.)

Another example of this would be subject matter that has stayed pretty consistent for years now, such as math. Most schools change their math textbooks every two years to every year. It's math. Except for the very high levels, math hasn't changed in decades, and a very large chunk of it, for centuries. Yes, I am sure there has been improvements on teaching methods, but nothing that would warrant a change in editions so frequently. The only thing that does warrant that kind of change is money. You take that away, and your going to have a tuition spike.

[Myshkin57]

@LucidGoldfish:

Most college bookstores are independently owned. Also, the prices are not dictated by the universities but the publishers. Texts change regularly because publishers stop publishing editions so that schools will have to use newer editions and students cannot just buy used texts over and over. Colleges do not make money off of texts in most cases and there is no scheme at colleges and universities to do so.

[katarhol]

As an older student, the idea of using an e-textbook, or a Kindle to study from is an anathema. There have been too many times that I have been surrounded by books while writing a paper, all of them open to specific pages for reference. More to the point, there have been classes I've taken where I've had to reference books that I bought at the bookstore (mostly used) that I've kept. With a subscription, I can't do that. Plus, realistically, how many courses require you to bring the text to class?

I don't know, while I like the idea of a Kindle or an e-textbook, it seems like technology for technology's sake, not ease of use. Molly Wood in the Buzz Report, and Ms. Vaknin both mentioned that there are a number of things that one "must" bring with them to class. MP3 players/recorders, netbooks, laptops, e-books, cell phones... OR a legal pad and pen for notes. Slim, easy technology that hasn't really been that improved on in many, many years. Plus, while it's great (and necessary) to use technology to do these tasks, it is equally as important to learn to do them without technology... Like falling into a "research hole" in the library, when you're just pulling various books down and finding the information by flipping through WITHOUT A SEARCH ENGINE!

But either way, I've learned as an older student that the focus is on the journey, not the destination. That means getting as much out of the experience as possible, even if means getting dusty every once in a while.

[PhoenixFiresky]

If you can keep up with your teachers in class using only a pen and pad, I am very impressed. I'm an older student too, and I have to bring my laptop with me just to keep up - and even then, by the end of class my fingers are hurting! Of course, I guess your teachers could talk more slowly than mine do.... LOL!

Seriously, with all this talk about electronics on campus, I have noticed that the 20-something students tend to be very reluctant to bring their computers to class. I'm not sure why. But I've noticed that it's the older students at our school who bring laptops (except for the kids who spend class surfing the web). Some of them complain that their laptops are too heavy to lug around with them. Also, there's a definite shortage of outlets in our older classrooms. I bring an extension cord with several outlets, but that's not enough to supply the whole class.

I would like to have an ereader for pdf documents, though. Maybe the soon to be released one by Plastic Logic...

[driekus65]

I think amazon should learn the lessons from the advent of mp3 and decline of Cd's. If you only offer people an overpriced, highly restrictive way of purchasing textbooks they will just simply pirate them. There are many torrent sites that stock a huge quantity of pdf textbooks without any restrictions. Look at what options you are giving people and dont rely on prohibitive practices to extort more money out of people.

[onchu_64]

Well, I would much rather use a Kindle. Two-thirds of the books I usually have to read for school aren't textbooks, and if I want to do more than few hours of reading on my laptop while at school, I'm limited by where I can find a power outlet and how long my eyes can stand reading a backlit screen.

I won't be getting one though. It is fairly expensive, but it would save me hundreds in the long run. Unfortunately, most of the books I need aren't available at the Kindle Store, or even in digital at all. Too bad.

[Myshkin57]

I agree. E-copies on computers are great... if they're 3 pages in length. Try and read several hundred pages on a regular computer screen and I'll give you a dollar if you don't have a headache and severe eye strain.

The new Kindle displays pdfs with no issues, so if it's available as an e-copy, it can most likely be displayed on a Kindle.

[PhoenixFiresky]

I have the same problem. I'd love to have a Kindle, or any ereader to handle my textbooks, pdf files and class notes (in pdf). But, when I checked the my books for last semester, NOT ONE of them was available in any eformat, Kindle or otherwise. Mostly, what seems to be available are textbooks for lower level students - freshmen and sophmores. Upper level students, at least at our school, are assigned regular books (scholarly ones) to study, not the textbooks the text publishers put out.

That's a shame because twelve small books still is quite a load to carry. Plus, I'm buried in pdf files. And I'd be willing to shell out the bucks for an ereader to solve the problem - IF they had one that would let me mark up the pdf documents. But they don't have one of those yet. Sigh.

It seems to me that the ereader manufacturers are incredibly out of touch with what students need, based on what I've seen in the Kindle DX.

[Renegade Knight]

My son just sold his texts and gave his friend one he will need for a class this summer. That simple flexability doesn't exist with any kind of eletronic format due to DRM restrictions on fair use.

[Myshkin57]

Your son probably just netted a loss of around $30 per book when he sold them back (that's a conservative estimate I'm basing on my own experiences). If texts are sold on a Kindle for $10-20, your son could give his friend the $10-20 to buy his own copy and your son would still be ahead.

Well when I looked at this I thought more in terms of 1-12 education rather than college level courses. Looking at some of my nieces and nephews backup packs and the number of large text books that have to carry to and from school as well as around school for classes as they are usually allowed to go to lockers before and after school and before/after lunch. However, the biggest limitation I see currently is Gray scale is just not good enough. I think for a school text book it has got to be color before you will see a large scale adoption. Think of a science text book showing something like the anatomy of a frog....Not saying this is the answer especially with netbook prices continuing to drop but the days of the paper based text book are numbered.

[PhoenixFiresky]

I agree. The Kindle DX is more suited to the grade 1-12 students than it is to the college crowd. As my son pointed out, they could sell insurance for it like they do for band instruments. And, since it'd be used a long time, it'd be worth the cost. Or you could rent one from the school.

[childofaaco]

An opposing view, as not all students are alike:

This iteration of the kindle may finally get me to break down and buy one - if the publishers of the textbooks I need get on board.

I had access to an e-text once, as part of the "Mastering Physics" from Pearson. It was useful......for looking up a specific paragraph in the chapter during lab when I'd forget the specifics on how to do something. That's all I ever used it for. The 1600 page text never came to class, but it went everywhere else (home, work, library - all of which had internet access), and is what I used to read the chapters and do homework - NOT the e-text. People have a wider horizontal field of view than they do vertical. It is far easier to change focus between two objects on the same plane such as a textbook and notebook on a desk or a kindle and a notebook on a desk than it is up to a computer screen and down to a notebook. Side-by side dual monitor setups are great - if you're producing computer based work. This is about the only area an e-book would shine. But we were talking netbooks and laptops right? And a lot of assignments are still paper-based.

Also the numbers of students who work are significant. Some of us have downtime that we are allowed to study and do homework, but there may not be internet access or it may be restricted to the point that software needed for the e-books cannot run. The kindle shines in its simplicity: load the book, and read.

I agree with the merit of the non-subscription based content. I have yet to sell back a book. Many of my books I've used as reference points for other classes. I will go out of my way to find, and will pay more to purchase a hardback book as the longevity is of value to me, just like a subsciption e-book is of greatly diminished value, a non-subscription e-book downloaded on my laptop is of slightly diminished value due to the risk of data loss. A book on a (hopefully) stable stand alone device (kindle?) that should not get overwhelmed with new or malicious software is of good value. A kindle book that is downloaded from Amazon and is available for redownload is on par with a hardback. Sometimes the cheap answer is just that.....

[uncletanoose]

you people have no memory, do you. remember that the first dvd players were six hundred bucks, and there were only about 20 dvd's available for purchase? we are still in the 'early adoption' phase. i can't believe that there are still people who don't get that. remember lp's, 8-track tape, cassettes, cd's? remember the beta/vhs thing? remember the blueray vs. hd-dvd thing? (of *course* not. that was *two years ago*.) point being. this is not about how *you* read. it's about how *the majority of the reading market* reads. yeah, right now you can stand in line for two hours to buy textbooks, and then at the end of the semester you can stand in line for another two hours to sell your books back for 20% of the cover price -- *if* you haven't highlighted anything. and *amazon* is ripping people off? please. people just prefer to get ripped off by the people they're used to being ripped off by.

how about this. textbook prices come down a bit. how about by, say, 20%? and you can grab them out of the air via 3g wireless. and when you move again, as you do at the beginning of every schoolyear, you don't have box after box of textbooks to haul. the friends who help you move will buy *you* beer & pizza.

the thing is, a lot of courses don't even *have* a textbook. this device is really worth the money for the average college student, because of the pdf-thing.

the 'kinko's-packet' is a thing of the past, but electronic reserve is not. and some required readings are linked-to html documents (convertible for kindle), and some are linked-to pdfs, or articles that need to be downloaded via the university's subscription.

in addition to holding a lot of books of all kinds, the kindle is a lot like a 3-ring binder *whose contents are full-text searchable*. some pdf's are over 20 pages long. are you seriously going to print that? and then buy sheet protectors and binders to hold them all? over a college career, kindle dx would pay for itself. just check the prices of binders and sheet protectors (3-hole punch works only if you don't read the doc); printer paper; and for heaven's sake, *toner cartridges* if you don't believe me.

*and* it can be used for recreational reading. color's coming, so we'll be able to read graphic novels during study breaks. or a free copy of crime & punishment, if we think we should.

if you close your mind and write this off you will be making a big mistake.

[Fatesrider]

I can't help but point out that Kindle has been out for years and is but one of several iterations of e-readers that, in the past, has failed. Further, DVD's were clearly superior to tapes and laser disks on several levels while the Kindle doesn't have enough features or availability of material to warrant its cost save for the few who always seem to have more money than sense. In short, the Kindle DX is not clearly superior ENOUGH to the alternatives to garner mass appeal due to its too-high cost. Therefore it will undoubtedly face a severe uphill climb to become successful - an outcome which I doubt will happen.

The regular Kindle is not selling terribly well despite upgraded features and a lower price. It's still too high. Given that the price of books purchased through the Kindle are approximately the same as any paperback one can purchase off the rack (and can definitely purchase for less in a used book store), a Kindle is only for those who don't want to mess around with a paper book - in short, people of means who can afford that luxury. MOST people can't.

With DVD's and CD's early adopters proved the viability of the technology. So far, early adopters have NOT shown the same thing with these readers - and given the inherent DRM disadvantages to the purchaser, it will NEVER be a popular enough device to bring the price down to a level to spark mass appeal. I'm as much of a technophile as you can get, but I wouldn't own a Kindle - or it's cousins - because the DRM's involved so disadvantage the end-user that should the Kindle ever suffer a failure, you would have to BUY THE BOOKS ALL OVER AGAIN. They don't transfer.

So inasmuch as Amazon is TRYING to generate greater profits for itself and publishers by creating these devices, the DRM's are so seriously flawed that a user of a Kindle need only experience its failure once to realize they'll never use one again.

[B-McGee]

No color = no way.

So I'm gonna pay $500 for another device I have to carry around with my laptop and smartphone, and it won't even display the textbooks I buy in color? Um, no thanks. 16 shades of gray sounds pretty lame to me.

[blackberryken]

I just don't agree with "subscription" for subscription's sake. I think it's absurd that anyone (AMAZON) will not allow you to OWN the book, referencing the school text books. My wife has the Kindle 2. She LOVES the thing but the problem I have with it is when she was done with a book she would loan it to a friend. Now unless the friend gets a Kindle and adds it to *MY* credit card account, there is no more loaning books. Frustrating double edged sword. I understand there has to be a compromise between press companies and e-book options or as someone liked it to the CD/MP3 issues. (publishers/authors) get reasonable or get lost.

No color no go. Gotta get to the color realm before it will work for school textbooks.

[pjhenry1216]

to be fair, Amazon hasn't detailed whether the textbooks would be subscription format or not.

[anime-master]

Some text books were on the original kindle and i saw 0 people at my university with them. I buy (and sell) most of my text books online but I am a minority. Most students will buy what ever the school book store sells them. If you want kindle to dominate you must get it in the school bookstores. Our bookstore steals around 20% from the students for each sail of a new book and more on the used ones. It will be hard to get school bookstores to go along unless you can offer them deep cuts of the profits and I don't think amazon or the publishers are too eager to do that. This is why kindle will fail to dominate at universities.

[rcyork]

I have to disagree to some extent. I am taking online classes. All of my textbooks are digital and I hate reading them on my laptop. I also don't like switching between the text and taking notes. If I were at a dual screen workstation, no problem, but there goes the portability. The current software my school uses (MyScribe) is also very cumbersome although it does allow me to access my books on five different machines, one of which can be a memory stick. I would prefer to have something more like a hard copy without the additional expense, since the digital version is included in my class fees.

I've run an etextbook program on tablet pcs for a couple years and it doesn't work too well because:
Can't take it to the bathtub with you
Student's don't like breaking their eyes reading anything more that visually diverse snippets
Student's don't want to buy books
If they buy books, they want them used and cheaper
If you're going to bother going digital you MUST be able to copy and paste

[cortexafan]

I don't want to say this won't work, because it obviously serves a need. The largest issue it will have is selling an academic product that bypasses the campus bookstore.

It's not widely discussed, but i have heard or read somewhere that some universities (i work closely with one of the largest) hold the opinion that they did not develop big, fast networks just so 3rd parties can profit by selling content on them.

It's also not widely discussed, but in classes that have adopted content available to students on paper and in a secure PDF format, the pdf copy never sells. Additionally, publishers who have developed couseware that is in both formats have also realized that they need to make the digital format the mandantory purchase, and then allow the student the option to purchase a real book of the content for an additional fee. This all started in the mid-90's with CD's that were bundled in to textbooks. Then it is password protected web content. Now it's the kindle. But I digress...

Publishers will do anything to kill the used textbook market. It's the least expensive way to use and OWN copyrighted content. Until someone actually comes up with something better and CHEAPER, this will not replace textbooks.

[bm7207]

As a college professor, I prohibit the use of ALL electronic devices in my undergraduate classes. Many undergraduates can't be trusted to stay off of MySpace and Facebook (or even "adult" websites), or refrain from IM'ing during class. They've ruined it for the rest of the students. If they can surf the web on a Kindle, I won't allow that either. All cell phones must be put away and out of my site at all times, since most have cameras and voice recorders. My lectures are my intellectual property so recordings are not allowed. I give regular quizzes and tests and I won't allow the possibility of a student snapping a photo of my test. It's really too bad that some bad apples have spoiled the whole bunch.

[Myshkin57]

I agree and I think you have a sensible policy. I'm working on my PhD and I've spent way too many hours having to meet with students who didn't pay attention in lecture because they were texting or web-surfing.

I do think that Amazon needs to address this issue if they want the support of college instructors. However, if they do, I think it could be a great tool. You could point out passages to students and they wouldn't spend half of their time trying to find it, because they could just search for the first couple of words.

They could carry every one of their texts with them, which is impractical for many students because the texts are too large to carry around 3 or 4 at a time comfortably. I do think the lack of a color monitor might hold back the Kindle, though. I remember as an undergrad that the biggest and heaviest text I had was for art history; you cannot have a black-and-white art history text. That's unfortunate for the Kindle, because I think that that is one of the areas that might be most helped by the use of something like the Kindle.

[PhoenixFiresky]

You'd hate me if I were your student. I'm an undergrad, older adult student. I use my laptop in class because i have arthritis in my hands. I use a tape recorder in class because I can't always type fast enough to keep up with the professor. I've only once had a problem with my professors feeling that it infringed on their "intellectual property" - and that was when the school told her to provide me with copies of her notes as an accommodation. Your students have PAID for your lectures, and it seems to me that they should have the right to get as much of the content from them as possible. After all, they are going to be tested on it. In my experience, the only professor who is going to have a problem with being recorded is one who is afraid they're going to get into trouble for something they say.

The cell phone rule is totally understandable, and is standard in classes. And yes, some students tend to surf the web during class. But that's no reason to ban laptops. If a student doesn't pay attention and take notes, it will be reflected in their grade - that's the consequence of their actions. If it's not reflected in tests, either there's something wrong with your tests, or that student has put in some really hard work to make up for their lack of attention and therefore deserves the grade they get.

You seem to feel very threatened by your students...

[Myshkin57]

@ PhoenixFiresky:

"Your students have PAID for your lectures, and it seems to me that they should have the right to get as much of the content from them as possible"

Yes and no. Often, students use electronic devices not to learn the material but as a way to more or less cheat on papers. I think that students are better served not recording lectures in most cases, because they use the recordings in lieu of paying attention. I've has students take my material and present it as their own for papers in another class. I didn't find out about this until after it was too late to say anything, but these students got better grades and into graduate programs in part because they took my material as their own.

Of course, I don't think most rational people would begrudge someone with a genuine physical issue from using a recorder However, many students misuse them.

" But that's no reason to ban laptops. If a student doesn't pay attention and take notes, it will be reflected in their grade - that's the consequence of their actions."

It is often not reflected in their grades because the same students who were surfing the web during lecture will come to office hours to get the entire lecture explained and often make appointment after appointment to get clear on the material. The worst part of this is that students who paid attention during class often do not get to see the professor because his office hours are wasted re-lecturing students who didn't pay attention the first time.
And, in large lecture classes, you really don't have the time to keep track of who is surfing during lecture and who isn't. For the most part, laptops are more of a distraction than a useful tool, in my experience.

[Soldier6575]

What about those of us with disabilities? I can understand not being allowed to use a cell phone. But having lectures recorded and transcribed is a must for some of us. Having a kindle would benefit me to have all my books on a light weight portable device and not have to carry around a bunch of large print books. I assume though that you would make an exception to your rule in these types of cases.

[washrice]

i cant wait to buy e text book or amazon kindle, i hope they are cheaper than textbooks

[USMAdoc]

The majority of the people criticizing the kindle have not used it. It is pricy and technology moves (color, cheaper versions will follow). It takes time before there is a new standard (ie Ipod) that becomes "necessity". Kindles will never fully replace textbooks but they can definitely limit the cost of education significantly. I am talking elementary education and not college. Towns blow boatloads of money replacing textbooks each year from irresponsible kids. With a solid 4 year warranty, damage-resistant case, and antitheft security features, I am excited at the possibility of an electronic device finally being fully educational (no real internet, myspace, facebook, no games, no messaging clients, no adult sites for kids... just books and wikipedia). Teachers and parents just might buy it. Imagine the possibilities: giving middle schoolers the option of lugging 5 textbooks or a two pound kindle (partially subsidized buy your town) at the start of a school year.

[TonyV1963]

I don't think many school districts would be willing give each kid an expensive ebook reader that will probably be lost or broken in 2-3 years (based on the usual "irresponsible" kid's ability to take care of things). Warranty or not, the combined cost of replacing Kindles and subscribing to etextbooks would probably be more that just buying plain ol' paper textbooks.

I'm stunned by how many stories CNET is running on the Kindle. Seems fishy, considering how unremarkable (even primitive) the technology is. If Creative released an MP3 player that couldn't play in stereo, would CNET run a dozen stories on that?

[Tak-Seng]

I'm a grad student and have been fond of technology most of my life. Especially when it simplifies. However, reading off of a computer is problematic in my opinion. My eyes do not enjoy the screen and I am too easily distracted by email and other things. Personally, I feel that the texture of the Kindle and that it limits possible distractions is a bonus. I think we need to be careful when we think of dispensing with such activities as sitting and simply reading a book...being frequently distracted can render many problems that we are not likely aware of or have considered. Thus, I'm in support of the Kindle and am excited to receive the DX. Hooray for true paperless living.

[bm7207]

Dear PhoenixFiresky,
You'd hate ME, because I would force you to get proof of need for a reasonable accommodation for your perceived "disability" from the university's Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD). No CSD would ever force me to hand over my personal notes, as I'm sure that I could portray that as an unreasonable accommodation. In the past, I've had students claiming a learning disability ask that they be allowed to take brief in-class reading comprehension quizzes at the CSD before class started since they needed extra time to complete them. I spoke with the CSD and explained my point of view and insisted that such an accommodation was, in fact, unreasonable and the student took every quiz in class with the other students and did not get any extra time. In the battle of professor versus student, the professor always wins...at least I do!

I have, of course, complied with the CSD for those students with legitimate disabilities. For example, one student was visually impaired and had two workers from the CSD take notes for her (neither of which were allowed to use a laptop to do so and both of which took notes the old-fashioned way...with paper and pen). On another occasion, a hearing impaired student was accompanied to every class with a sign-language interpreter.

Educational psychologists will assert that the linkage between one's mind and one's hand is stronger when the hand is engaged in handwriting instead of typing.

Regarding the issue of voice recording in class: get real. I work for the state, not the student. The majority of my pay is from the taxpayers of my state not from the students in my classes. My syllabus is clear and any violation of it is grounds for dropping the student from my class. I've force-dropped students before for other violations, and I'll do it again if I catch one recording my lectures. Again, the professor wins and the overly entitled pampered whiny student loses.

[danbaker--2008]

Please excuse me if I sound harsh, but your really shouldn't be a teacher. Babysitter, parole officer, prison guard, fine. But leave teaching for those with genuine concern for their students. You seem too caught up in puffing out your chest at every chance.

Personally, I use the Pulse SmartPen by Livescribe to record my notes. It is a brilliant device that records the audio along with the handwritten notes. The text and audio are synched up so I can go back and listen to what the teacher was saying at the exact moment I wrote any particular note. It has really helped my grades. Last semester I had 6 classes and got straight A's (at an Ivy League U.). I've never had a teacher express concern about this use of technology. In fact, they are typically impressed by it.

I'm so disapointed to hear the antagonistic attitude you have towards your students. You are right about one thing. I WOULD hate having you as my teacher. I'm sure you've learned many hard lessons over the years and had to adapt because of students taking advantage. Please, please don't forget that there are plenty of hard working students who are just trying to do their best. If some need to compensate for weakness in note taking by recording audio, shrug it off. Some universities are putting entire courses online at iTunes University for the world to get for free.

[sw264]

Let me guess, you teach at Temple University?