eBooks

With new ebooks/ereaders available on the market, I have really only given thought to which format I personally preferred for reading. These articles give an insight into the implications these devices may have for the future of books and reading in our schools. I have not used the iPad for reading purposes, so it was interesting to hear all of the features it offers. I used to tend towards wanting a Kindle because I felt that it gave the most authentic "book" feel rather than an electrical device. The iPad has proven that it can be a tool that kids will not only use but enjoy. The feature of being able to connect it to an overhead projector would be greatly beneficial to schools. I am still however, unsure of how these books would be "circulated". I know that through downloadable audio books, a user has a three day time frame to have the book "checked-out" in which they must download it before it expires from their account. I wonder if there would be a similar system in place for ebooks. Also, this would be highly expensive. If the media center was to eventually switch to be completely electronic, how would students use the materials? How would the media center even look? Would each student be required to have an iPad or other ereader in order to download and take home books? While I favor print books, both in easyiness of use and circulation and in personal reading preferences, I am unsure of their future. I feel that many people still love the feel of a printed book and casually browsing through books at bookstores, will this end at some point? One article mentioned that we should not impose our preferences on our kids, which I can see is true. My niece and nephew are like glue to games and electronics. I even liked his (John Green's) idea about even changing the basic format of books and reading. I think students would love to read a game type book, which many even prove more beneficial for reading comprehension.