But then again, who doesn't love the touch, feel, and smell of a good tangible book, even if it's for a class in school. I can tell you, I love the smell of books. Don't judge, I know you all do too. There's nothing like the feel of the pages between my fingers as I turn the pages, and the satisfaction I feel when I reach the back cover. And yes, I might have smelled the pages as I was turning them--there's nothing wrong with that though...
So I weighed the pros and cons:
-I can take an eReader with me anywhere. Mind you, I could take a book as well, but I love the thought of having options.
-eReaders are very difficult to use textbooks on (at least for me). I like to write and highlight, and I cannot really do that on a tablet and really absorb the information. I know a lot of students also are better able to learn that way.
-eReaders are a tad more expensive than one book, I'll admit. But going back to the options, buying one eReader is equivalent to buying probably about 30 books. And you can hold so much more than that!
Needless to say, I did end up with a nook and I love it. I do read real books as well, because we all need the best of both worlds. But whether it is on an eReader or a "real" book, reading is the most essential part of any student's life, whether they like English, Math, or Science.
Hi Allison, I found myself in the same dilemma.In regards to textbooks, I am the same way. I need to be able to write and highlight and underline in order to fully grasp what I'm reading. When it comes to my personal books which I read for fun, I need them in pristine condition. I know some people like to "break in" their books, underlining and circling, and bending page corners, but I need to keep my books in perfect order. Let's just say it is painful for me to even make a crease in the binding. I love the clean crisp pages of a book and thus getting a kindle or a nook seemed out of the question for me. Then I got one as a gift for my birthday. I didn't take it out of the box for a good half year and eventually I got around to it. It was nice having many different books on hand, but I decided that books I know I love, I'll never buy on the Nook. I want actual copies of my favorites or the classics. However, if I'm trying out a book that sounds good or have heard mixed reviews about a book that I'm not sure about it, I'll put them on my Nook to see if it's worth it to buy a paperback version. That's my take on it.
ReplyDeleteAllison,
ReplyDeleteAs I read this, I felt that you were reading my mind. I am also caught between having to choose between the e reader and a book. As you stated, they have the pros and cons. And, yes I do like to smell the pages too! :)
I think that this is the most difficult part for us, as teachers, to incorporate this into our classrooms. It is very difficult to make the final decision of what would be more useful; eReader or a physical copy of a book.
Like you, I feel that the EReader would make a lot of book bags a lot lighter. However, at the same time, I am like you; i like to highlight, write note, insert tabs etc... and this cannot be done using tablets. It's Just like with all of my classes, even though I have a MacBook and an IPad, I still bring binders to class so that I can physically take notes. I feel that it resonates with me more.
The pros and cons of technology are so many!