Kindle Karma in the Classroom
The experience of Kindles in the classroom changed not only the students' attitude towards digital books, but also the teachers'
Many grammar, middle and high school systems are using Kindle’s reading program through Whispercast, Amazon’s free self-service tool. “With Whispercast, schools can reduce the administrative cost and complexity of distributing books to students.”1
Students are able to use any device that accepts the Kindle free app, including iPad, Android, tablets, PCs, Macs — and of course the Kindle. Amazon has performed research to demonstrate the fact that students are excited about reading on a Kindle, and some schools have decreased the weight of students’ backpacks by consolidating the physical books to the light-weight device.
Personally, I know that I read more and faster when I am using my Kindle. It seems that the % sign at the bottom of the page motivates me.
“Teachers can now think of an eBook and have it distributed to an entire class wirelessly in minutes using Whispercast . . . Schools can use Whispercast to leverage the Kindle Store's massive collection of over 1 million books, newspapers, and magazines, including millions of free, out-of-copyright titles like Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist.”2
Students are able to use any device that accepts the Kindle free app, including iPad, Android, tablets, PCs, Macs — and of course the Kindle. Amazon has performed research to demonstrate the fact that students are excited about reading on a Kindle, and some schools have decreased the weight of students’ backpacks by consolidating the physical books to the light-weight device.
Personally, I know that I read more and faster when I am using my Kindle. It seems that the % sign at the bottom of the page motivates me.
“Teachers can now think of an eBook and have it distributed to an entire class wirelessly in minutes using Whispercast . . . Schools can use Whispercast to leverage the Kindle Store's massive collection of over 1 million books, newspapers, and magazines, including millions of free, out-of-copyright titles like Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist.”2
Kindles are made to strip away barriers by making the text more readable across all levels of reader-types, including those students who are affected by dyslexia. Students are able to adjust text: fonts, size and line spacing. And students are able to use the built-in reference and dictionary function in the moment that they need it.
Kindle comes with text-to-speech operation, and my nephew, who is impaired by dyslexia, uses this function to keep up with his reading. This one function allows him to “read” as fast as he can listen. Amazing!
Kindle Features and Benefits
Highlighting
One of my friends once said to me that he couldn’t think of reading with an e-book because of his need to highlight. My response was that the Kindle’s capacity to highlight was even better than you think — when you are done highlighting you actually also get notes already typed. Once you’re done highlighting the Kindle saves all of the highlighted notes into a file for you so that you can download it. As an instructor — reviewing a textbook — this was fantastic news for prepping lecture notes for a class; it cut the amount of work in half.
Notebook
Review and filter all of your notes, highlights, and bookmarks in one place using Notebook, a feature available on both Kindle Fire and the free Kindle app on iPad.3
Economical
More than any other reason, e-books like the Kindle, offer a great savings from the original cost of books, almost 60 to 80%. You can also get free samples of books before you buy them and certain books can be “borrowed” free (if you have an Amazon Prime Account). And you also have the option of either renting or purchasing the book with a Kindle 7-day return policy.
Case Study: Gigi Whiteside
Gigi Whiteside, EdS, is an assistive technology specialist for Fulton County, Georgia, and has taught at Milton High School. She is one of millions of readers sharing the magic of the Kindle.4
At first, Gigi Whiteside was not taken by the notion of e-books, in fact she was scornful of it. Then, she had the opportunity to teach a student who came to her class with e-book technology enabling the student to listen to her book with the text-to-speech format, and Whiteside was impressed.
After researching a number of e-reader programs, she found that the sleek, elegant looking Kindle compared to a bulky laptop — was preferred. She was convinced packaging mattered to students. She also thought that everyone using the same device would cut down significantly on any technical issues and improve connectivity; so she went with the Kindle. She sought funding for her learning-disabled English class and was then able to receive a grant for everyone in the class to obtain a Kindle.
"When the Kindles arrived, one would have thought it was a birthday celebration. The students were ecstatic about trying out the new reading devices. These were the same students who complained when informed we were beginning a new novel in class. Rather than the usual, “Do we have to read today?” my students began to ask, “Do we get to read today?”5
Whiteside said that it only took one class for the students to acclimate themselves to the new technology. And she also said that she was overwhelmed by the high interest that the students showed in reading the devices; this generated a complete turn-around in the students' attitude.
"One of the most memorable moments involved a student who frequently threatened to drop out of school. One morning he asked, “Hey, Ms. Whiteside, are we reading our Kindles today?” I assured him we were, and he continued, “I was lying awake in bed last night thinking about what might happen next in my book. He said, “You know, I have never looked forward to coming to school, especially staying through to the end of the day. But now, I get excited about reading my Kindle, and I want to be here!”6
The telltale fact for Whiteside — above all else — was the results that she got from using the e-books. Whiteside noted that on average 20% of her learning-disabled students passed her class, and that was par for the course. The first year of using the Kindles in class she found that the students had an amazing passing rate of 70%.
Whiteside said, “In my 19 years of teaching exceptional learners, I have never encountered such dramatic results. I am confident the opportunity to use Kindles and the text-to-speech feature positively affected my students' performance.”7
“The Kindles for Kids” program provides clear evidence that literacy is achievable for all individuals who have access to the tools that will propel them into the future.8
"One of the most memorable moments involved a student who frequently threatened to drop out of school. One morning he asked, “Hey, Ms. Whiteside, are we reading our Kindles today?” I assured him we were, and he continued, “I was lying awake in bed last night thinking about what might happen next in my book. He said, “You know, I have never looked forward to coming to school, especially staying through to the end of the day. But now, I get excited about reading my Kindle, and I want to be here!”6
The telltale fact for Whiteside — above all else — was the results that she got from using the e-books. Whiteside noted that on average 20% of her learning-disabled students passed her class, and that was par for the course. The first year of using the Kindles in class she found that the students had an amazing passing rate of 70%.
Whiteside said, “In my 19 years of teaching exceptional learners, I have never encountered such dramatic results. I am confident the opportunity to use Kindles and the text-to-speech feature positively affected my students' performance.”7
“The Kindles for Kids” program provides clear evidence that literacy is achievable for all individuals who have access to the tools that will propel them into the future.8
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Footnotes:
Footnotes:
1 http://whispercast.amazon.com/ This article’s direct quotes and general commentary come directly from Amazon Kindle’s website. I do not receive any remuneration from Amazon for the writing of this blog.
2-8 Ibid.
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