Which eReader is best for you? Don’t know, I (and others) will tell you!
There is a lot to chose from out there when it comes to eReaders so I pared down based on two selection criteria. To me, when comparing eReaders there are only really two things that I truly consider: price and content. First price. The Kindle offers more options for price, but to compare devices with roughly the same specs, there is not much difference in price. As far as content availability, Amazon has far more content available than the Nook and the content is less expensive on Amazon, so the Kindle is the clear winner there.
Interested in other eReaders? https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/
Also, my opinion, but the user experience on the Kindle is far superior. It has the ability to highlight, bookmark, take and export notes, a vocabulary builder and access to an online dictionary and WordWise. Furthermore, you can see what popular highlights of other readers and if you highlight something the Kindle gives you the option to view additional information on Wikipedia. The Kindle has a smooth transition between pages and chapters whereas the Nook has a delay that makes the experience “klunky.” The Nook does not offer access to WordWise or have the ability to export notes. Finally, Nook does not have audio books like Audible on the Kindle. That right there was enough to be a non-starter for me. Not because I prefer audiobooks but I do like the option to listen to a book while I am driving or hiking, and if I am considering the use of eReaders in learning then from an instructional design standpoint I want to offer as many options as possible for a learner-centric experience.
Interested in other comparisons? Try https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/nook-vs-kindle/ or https://youtu.be/DQG_1B1FG8E
That brings us to how eReaders enrich for teachers and learners. First for teachers, depending on the education level. The capability provided to the students is immense. Not only are you likely providing more multimodal options for learning but eReaders are great tools for students to build vocabulary, take and export notes, highlight and bookmark, but eReaders also assist intellectual curiosity. The Kindle connect the reader to other sources using Wikipedia as the jumping point. From an administration standpoint eTextbook and eBooks are far cheaper than paper or hard cover books. In fact many are eBooks are free. Teachers can go here https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/best-9-free-websites-that-offer-free.html for a list of those sites with free books. Here you can find a teacher describing why he chose to use eReaders in his classroom. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/jeremy-rinkel/three-questions-to-explore-when-proposing-the-use-of-ereaders-in-the-classroom/. As a learner the value is immense. Much like I described my experience in my last blog post, Reading: A Necessary Evil?...And How to Make it Better learners benefit greatly from having an eReader. For me if you need more evidence than it will potentially read to you, take and export notes, and a quick search function then you will find it here: https://lifehacker.com/a-students-guide-to-using-the-kindle-for-research-1502276466 or here https://www.slashgear.com/using-a-kindle-for-textbooks-15459499/ or here https://www.lifewire.com/why-buy-ereaders-for-school-2740431.
Thank you for stopping by my blog again and if I have failed to convince you to get an eReader by this point I will definitely get you next time!
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI like where you are going with your exploration of eReaders. I have always been a paperback guy myself, but my daughter got me into the kindle about a year ago. I fought her hard on it, using the excuses that "it hurts my eyes" and "how I like the feel of the paper when I turn the pages". I thought she gave up, but she actually just left her kindle sitting out on the coffee table as a trap. When I thought I wouldn't get caught, I picked it up, started to take a look, and fell in love with it. Needless to say, my excuses were undone, and I am now onto my second kindle. I have to concur with your assessment as well. Amazon just presents so much more capability. regarding the tools available, the ability to look up definitions instantly is much more convenient than dog-earing or highlighting and coming back later...maybe. Great thoughts, I look forward to what you come up with in the future.
-Donny
Donny,
DeleteThank you for stopping by. I am glad your daughter tricked/trapped you into using the Kindle. It is the most powerful educational technology tool I currently use. Of course, I also use it when I am not working on formal education because I do leisure reading but I do a lot of non-fiction leisure reading and often can use that with other educational activities. I used a quote from Peter Senge’s “The Fifth Discipline” in our original 631 discussion board about design. I look forward to you stopping by in the future.
Mike
Mike, although I love books I do not know what I would do without my kindle. I am really big into recycling, decreasing my carbon footprint etc. and the kindle is a more sustainable way of doing that I suppose. Although when I very rarely get rid of books I usually donate them so they are getting re-used. On my kindle I can access our blackboard classrooms and digital textbooks so it really is multi-purpose. Thanks for the pros and cons of both the kindle and nook. I will stay away from the nook :)
ReplyDelete-Mandy
Mandy,
DeleteThank you for swinging by my blog and for your comments. I had never thought about my Kindle as a way to reduce my carbon footprint! You will get a shoutout in an upcoming blog because I plan to make sure my audience, which is vast, upward of 40 views, understands the devices value for the environment.
Mike
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your personal comparison of the kindle and nook e-readers. It is funny, as you can see with Mandy's comments we are a kindle family. I am glad that according to your comparison, we made the right choice. So many times the avid readers do refer to the smell of books and how warm and comfortable they feel. I am in no way an avid reader, I do sometimes enjoy a good story or article, but that is will as far as it gets most of the time.
What did peak my interest was the idea of just creating a scent of old book for the individuals that moved to e-readers, but still wanted to feel as if they were curled up with a good old book. I did a quick internet search and found out I was not the only one that thought of that, there was a particular website that actually sells it.
The website is https://www.candlescience.com/fragrance/library-fragrance-oil it has a fragrance named library. It is supposed to smell like old leather bound books, I almost thought about ordering it just to see how close it was to the real thing. I did not, because as I said earlier, I am not that avid of a reader. I did find it interesting, though. Thanks for peaking my interest!
Walt
Walt,
DeleteThank you for your reply! It is fascinating that we live in a world where we can have a candle that smells like a library. Maybe you could get the candle for a special avid reader you have in your life and then ask for their feedback. Just as an FYI you can get a ton of news papers, magazines, and short stories on your eReader as well, many for free! I look forward to seeing you again!
Mike
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI think e-books has its advantages because now almost all providers are digitizing their services to accommodate the large community of digital users. Also, the convenience a kindle provides compared to the old fashion way of just holding a book in your hands and flipping through the pages is a better option to me, just my opinion. However, some people do prefer paperback over e-books which is perfectly fine. Nonetheless, for me the ability to be able to have access everywhere and the convenience of just going through the material whether traveling or at home is priceless. At first, I must admit I was not a fan but since you started introducing us to e-books with your blog, I actually have given it a shot and turns out I like the ease of use. Thanks for introducing us to the world of e-readers.
Alex
Alex,
DeleteThank you for stopping by my blog and I am so glad you have found it useful and you are finding value in an eReader. I am one of the folks that prefer the feel of a real book as well and I allow myself to have one for Christmas every year. This past year I bought “Guns, Germs, and Steel” by Jared Diamond. It is about how geography and environment shaped the modern world. However, I mostly get the digital books because they are cheaper and economics is a big (the largest) factor In most decision-making for me. I look forwarding to seeing you stop by the blog again!
Mike
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI like the comparison. I had a kindle back when they first came out. I think them really being the first on the scene has given them a leg up on the market. However, I don't have one anymore, and the reason for that is the kindle app for phones and now for tablets. With the app on your phone or tablet, is there justification for buying a separate kindle? It links to your amazon account so you get the same content for the same low price. Plus, I am already carrying my phone, or tablet. I am not sure I can justify spending money on a device that is as limited as a kindle.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the in depth break down of these eReaders. You made the choice for me easy. I have recently been reading books at night as I try to calm my mind from the day stress and I have just been reading a book on my iPhone and the words are so small it makes my eyes hurt. I will be looking into a kindle. On your point about teachers using eReaders for students, I see it in action every day from across the table and concur with your assessment of it being a good tool. Even at the age of seven my son uses my wife's kindle it read books for school. She wont share with me but apparently his education is more important... and I agree with her (He's a strong Ranger). I look forward to seeing your next post.
Andy D.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the insight into the Kindle. I have not personally invested in an e-reader myself but following your blog and the various comments, I can see a lot of pros with taking the jump and investing in a Kindle. I also like Mandy's comment about how it helps the environment. I do enjoy paperback books but the capabilities of having the quick search options and the ability to do other things with it like access blackboard on the go seems to be worthy of me evolving with the rest of society and actually investing in the technology. I also hadn't really considered the cost savings of the e-reader. I believe cost savings are important as we begin to make recommendations to future clients on what resources they should invest in to launch whatever training we develop. Its important to find cost savings wherever possible. Thanks again for the insight. Looks like I'll be purchasing one soon.
Anthony