What’s the best hardware for e-book reading and other apps for K-12? I myself like the idea of a tablet that could be carried in a knapsack and include a detachable keyboard, maybe the fold-up variety. I’m not the biggest fan of laptops, especially for kids. The ergonomics aren’t always the best. The ideal distance between eye and screen may clash with the optimal distance from the keyboard. I also think that needs will vary by student and app. One size does not fit all, although an eight- or nine-inch screen might be a compromise. I’d also like to see a pop-out stand to prop up the tablet while the student is writing rather than reading. So how do you feel? The comment box beckons.
Speaking of ergonomics: My left arm hurts like hell even with a detachable keyboard and other good stuff, and this week I may have to limit writing for the TeleBlog if the pain continues. Good ideas on affordable voice recognition software if it comes to that?
Luddite reply: Oh, those Luddites. They love cute litte replies that duck some very real issues. If nothing else, Luddites need to consider the combined weight of books in kids’ knapsacks. Not to mention the thousands of free e-books on the Net.
David Pogue of the NYTimes has written several columns about his own typing difficulties and his use of voice recognition software. If I recall correctly, he favors Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
Thanks, Roger. Having done some research now, that’s the one I might buy for if I get any. The good news is that the doctor says it’s just an ordinary sprain or whatever, apparently not carpal tunnel syndrome. But it won’t hurt for me to cut back on my typing.
So what’s your thinking on the issue of optimal hardware for K-12? Is the 770 one of the solutions? I am concerned that the screen is not big enough for general use.
My ideal device would be a modified Tablet PC blended with a Cybook and a PDA. In fact Motion Computing has put out a smaller TPC, I think it is a 8” screen. Theirs could be a bit thinner though (Is it possible for 1”?). Still they are just too expensive. The device should not weight more than 2lbs. It should also run Windows XP, but with instant on. I have been following Sandisk’s solution of secure (Not that believe in DRM) digital textbooks (Freedom USB Drive) so the device should have two USB ports. Since it will be used in school the battery should lasts at least seven hours. That way the kids can recharge at home and leave the cables and plugs behind. It should be WIFI or at least BT, both would be better (and built in). For additional storage and flexibility it should have a SD card slot as well as a PCMCIA slot. Above all it must be durable.
Because we are dealing with young folks there should be extras to entice them to use the device. These extras could also hold educational value. The first thing that comes to mind it that it should have audio capabilities. Not only could kids listen to lectures, they could also listen to their favorite music. Another thing is interactive educational games. I believe that it should be color, but also readable in daylight, so that the students could hang out and still have access to their books and documents. PDA functions such as the Calendar can help kids keep up with class schedules, homework, and after school activities. No sync software please unless it is better than MS Activesync which is a deterrent to use. Lastly it should come with a protective case or even a snap on lid. Parents shouldn’t have to get one through trial and error and extra cost.
Often I look at portable DVD players, especially the ones with the swivel screens, which have gone done in price drastically. The screens are great and I keep thinking that somehow these should be converted to e-book devices.
I like the idea of tablets in schools, especially ones with large-enough screens to read physical-book-size pages in PDF. This is likely to enable more publishers to present their textbooks electronically in a sooner rather than later fashion.
I personally think the full-size tablets are too big, but then I do most of my computing work on a laptop or desktop and don’t really know how an 8-inch screen would feel restrictive (in a spreadsheet or drawing, say).
I love the Nokia 770 concept and form-factor, but not for a primary computer — only as an auxiliary device, with an emphasis on web browsing, email, IM and the like, as well as spot work in a full-size app. Even with a foldup keyboard, the screen seems too small to me for school work.
I believe that Wi-Fi is integral to a tablet’s usefulness, but it’s not clear to me how you prevent K-12 students from interacting with each other on their screens during class (IM or Bluetooth piconets or even email). If you bock them from the web, you’re saying the tablet is not a computer but just a one-way, reading device. That seems counter to teaching kids how to integrate computers into their learning process. I mean, we know they will have to work with computers, and they’ll have to learn what activities to avoid while working.
In my own case, when I’m at a conference I take notes on a laptop (useful), look things up on the web that pertain to what the speaker is talking about (probably useful), read my email (not useful to following the speaker), browse my favorite spots on the web (not useful) and write email (not useful). Those “not useful” activities are maybe “work useful” but not “learning useful.” School kids are going to be in the same position. I hope they can learn better than I how to use the computer while maintaining a focus on the task/class at hand.
After posting the previous comment, I visited if:book, the blog at the Institute for the Future of the Book.
There was a post there by Bob Stein and others about a proposed exercise for a high school or college class.
It’s interesting in and of itself, but what it made me realize and remember is that using tablets will make it easier for students to collaborate (well, OK, laptops might have the same effect). Key realization here is that students might collaborate in real-time even though they’re in different classes, different grades, even different schools, not to mention different town, states and countries.
As the luddite who posted the ‘cute’ reply I would just like to make a few points. Yes, it was rather dashed off and didn’t bother to look at some real issues. My general point though was that in the rush to make use of technology sometimes the good old-fashioned ways of doing things are disposed off rather too hastily. As someone who carries an iBook and iPod (for podcasts) wherever I go AND a paper notebook I don’t really count myself as a luddite. I work in the web industry and am always keen to make use of technology as long as it is the best way to deliver content. Over the years I have seen so many projects fail because the technology was considered ‘hot’ and the actual content and user experience ignored.
I subscribed to your feed because I am genuinely interested in how technology can work with books. I have yet to see a truly useful instance of a book on an electronic device that outdoes the old-fashioned paper and board method. This is not to say that I am averse to seeing such a thing, I’m not. I am fascinated by the process of reading and how the device to deliver the writing can effect this process. One of my greatest fears is that reading becomes a chore and some of that intangible enjoyment we get from reading is obliterated because we are struggling to make use of technology that isn’t suited to the purpose. I don’t have an issue with kids reading from a Tablet PC, a laptop or even an iPod. I am only sceptical when the the device sin’t as transparent and easy to use as a book, when it provides yet another barrier for kids learning to enjoy reading.
Having said all that, keep up the good work. Your feed remains in my feedreader.
[...] Update 28/09/05: Ok, so I was a little narky last night and the author of the post to which I was referring didn’t take too kindly to it. I have since posted a comment clarifying my stance on this. [...]
Thanks for your note, Georg/Stack. Actually I don’t know what I’d do without e-books. I can effortlessly revisit old classics without buying books or worrying about library fines. I can discover new titles that I just can’t get around here. And on the right device–preferences vary–the experience can be extremely pleasant. What’s more, the technology is only going to get better. So hang on in there, Georg. Experiment with e-books now. And if you find that the devices are still not satisfactory, just wait a few more years. With E-Ink technology and other refinements, e-book reading will be more and more like p-book reading. Your yourself, I notice, do talk about appropriate devices. Exactly! Thanks for reading the TeleBlog feed, and the best of luck with your various activities. David
Why would you carry the tablet around? Just keep it at the school in a locker, and synchronize books and assignments over the internet between the tablet and your home pc.
The hardware is only part of the equation. If most teachers keep mandating paper books, all you will have done is substitute a couple of p-books with a heavy tablet. Heavy, because in order to produce cheap tablets for schools, manufacturers are going to use off-the-shelve parts, which generally won’t have been built with weight considerations in mind.
In order to be tablet-ready, schools may need to have their departments brainstorm about how to acquire digital text books. They may write them themselves (the advantage being that you can always print them as needed), or scan in existing text books (which may be of dubious legality).
As for the hardware, it probably makes little sense to have devices that can only be read from. Computers lend themselves for annotation; students should be able to make use of that ability.
I expect that the overwhelming majority of books are printed by publishers’ sending PDFs to the printer. Creating display-suitable versions of those texts should not be onerous. Consequently, the fastest way of getting texts onto (into?) students’ tablets will be for school districts to require electronic formats, including PDF.
That would lead me to expect student tablets to have a screen large enough to display a printed textbook page without reduction.
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David Pogue of the NYTimes has written several columns about his own typing difficulties and his use of voice recognition software. If I recall correctly, he favors Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
Thanks, Roger. Having done some research now, that’s the one I might buy for if I get any. The good news is that the doctor says it’s just an ordinary sprain or whatever, apparently not carpal tunnel syndrome. But it won’t hurt for me to cut back on my typing.
So what’s your thinking on the issue of optimal hardware for K-12? Is the 770 one of the solutions? I am concerned that the screen is not big enough for general use.
My ideal device would be a modified Tablet PC blended with a Cybook and a PDA. In fact Motion Computing has put out a smaller TPC, I think it is a 8” screen. Theirs could be a bit thinner though (Is it possible for 1”?). Still they are just too expensive. The device should not weight more than 2lbs. It should also run Windows XP, but with instant on. I have been following Sandisk’s solution of secure (Not that believe in DRM) digital textbooks (Freedom USB Drive) so the device should have two USB ports. Since it will be used in school the battery should lasts at least seven hours. That way the kids can recharge at home and leave the cables and plugs behind. It should be WIFI or at least BT, both would be better (and built in). For additional storage and flexibility it should have a SD card slot as well as a PCMCIA slot. Above all it must be durable.
Because we are dealing with young folks there should be extras to entice them to use the device. These extras could also hold educational value. The first thing that comes to mind it that it should have audio capabilities. Not only could kids listen to lectures, they could also listen to their favorite music. Another thing is interactive educational games. I believe that it should be color, but also readable in daylight, so that the students could hang out and still have access to their books and documents. PDA functions such as the Calendar can help kids keep up with class schedules, homework, and after school activities. No sync software please unless it is better than MS Activesync which is a deterrent to use. Lastly it should come with a protective case or even a snap on lid. Parents shouldn’t have to get one through trial and error and extra cost.
Often I look at portable DVD players, especially the ones with the swivel screens, which have gone done in price drastically. The screens are great and I keep thinking that somehow these should be converted to e-book devices.
Ellen, thanks for so thoughtful a list! Feel free to mention still more details below if you’d like.
If other folks have comments on Ellen’s list and ideas of their own, then so much the better.
David
I like the idea of tablets in schools, especially ones with large-enough screens to read physical-book-size pages in PDF. This is likely to enable more publishers to present their textbooks electronically in a sooner rather than later fashion.
I personally think the full-size tablets are too big, but then I do most of my computing work on a laptop or desktop and don’t really know how an 8-inch screen would feel restrictive (in a spreadsheet or drawing, say).
I love the Nokia 770 concept and form-factor, but not for a primary computer — only as an auxiliary device, with an emphasis on web browsing, email, IM and the like, as well as spot work in a full-size app. Even with a foldup keyboard, the screen seems too small to me for school work.
I believe that Wi-Fi is integral to a tablet’s usefulness, but it’s not clear to me how you prevent K-12 students from interacting with each other on their screens during class (IM or Bluetooth piconets or even email). If you bock them from the web, you’re saying the tablet is not a computer but just a one-way, reading device. That seems counter to teaching kids how to integrate computers into their learning process. I mean, we know they will have to work with computers, and they’ll have to learn what activities to avoid while working.
In my own case, when I’m at a conference I take notes on a laptop (useful), look things up on the web that pertain to what the speaker is talking about (probably useful), read my email (not useful to following the speaker), browse my favorite spots on the web (not useful) and write email (not useful). Those “not useful” activities are maybe “work useful” but not “learning useful.” School kids are going to be in the same position. I hope they can learn better than I how to use the computer while maintaining a focus on the task/class at hand.
— Roger
After posting the previous comment, I visited if:book, the blog at the Institute for the Future of the Book.
There was a post there by Bob Stein and others about a proposed exercise for a high school or college class.
It’s interesting in and of itself, but what it made me realize and remember is that using tablets will make it easier for students to collaborate (well, OK, laptops might have the same effect). Key realization here is that students might collaborate in real-time even though they’re in different classes, different grades, even different schools, not to mention different town, states and countries.
What do you all think about the slate tablet form factor vs the convertable tablet form factor for the education space?
David,
As the luddite who posted the ‘cute’ reply I would just like to make a few points. Yes, it was rather dashed off and didn’t bother to look at some real issues. My general point though was that in the rush to make use of technology sometimes the good old-fashioned ways of doing things are disposed off rather too hastily. As someone who carries an iBook and iPod (for podcasts) wherever I go AND a paper notebook I don’t really count myself as a luddite. I work in the web industry and am always keen to make use of technology as long as it is the best way to deliver content. Over the years I have seen so many projects fail because the technology was considered ‘hot’ and the actual content and user experience ignored.
I subscribed to your feed because I am genuinely interested in how technology can work with books. I have yet to see a truly useful instance of a book on an electronic device that outdoes the old-fashioned paper and board method. This is not to say that I am averse to seeing such a thing, I’m not. I am fascinated by the process of reading and how the device to deliver the writing can effect this process. One of my greatest fears is that reading becomes a chore and some of that intangible enjoyment we get from reading is obliterated because we are struggling to make use of technology that isn’t suited to the purpose. I don’t have an issue with kids reading from a Tablet PC, a laptop or even an iPod. I am only sceptical when the the device sin’t as transparent and easy to use as a book, when it provides yet another barrier for kids learning to enjoy reading.
Having said all that, keep up the good work. Your feed remains in my feedreader.
[...] Update 28/09/05: Ok, so I was a little narky last night and the author of the post to which I was referring didn’t take too kindly to it. I have since posted a comment clarifying my stance on this. [...]
Thanks for your note, Georg/Stack. Actually I don’t know what I’d do without e-books. I can effortlessly revisit old classics without buying books or worrying about library fines. I can discover new titles that I just can’t get around here. And on the right device–preferences vary–the experience can be extremely pleasant. What’s more, the technology is only going to get better. So hang on in there, Georg. Experiment with e-books now. And if you find that the devices are still not satisfactory, just wait a few more years. With E-Ink technology and other refinements, e-book reading will be more and more like p-book reading. Your yourself, I notice, do talk about appropriate devices. Exactly! Thanks for reading the TeleBlog feed, and the best of luck with your various activities. David
Why would you carry the tablet around? Just keep it at the school in a locker, and synchronize books and assignments over the internet between the tablet and your home pc.
The hardware is only part of the equation. If most teachers keep mandating paper books, all you will have done is substitute a couple of p-books with a heavy tablet. Heavy, because in order to produce cheap tablets for schools, manufacturers are going to use off-the-shelve parts, which generally won’t have been built with weight considerations in mind.
In order to be tablet-ready, schools may need to have their departments brainstorm about how to acquire digital text books. They may write them themselves (the advantage being that you can always print them as needed), or scan in existing text books (which may be of dubious legality).
As for the hardware, it probably makes little sense to have devices that can only be read from. Computers lend themselves for annotation; students should be able to make use of that ability.
I expect that the overwhelming majority of books are printed by publishers’ sending PDFs to the printer. Creating display-suitable versions of those texts should not be onerous. Consequently, the fastest way of getting texts onto (into?) students’ tablets will be for school districts to require electronic formats, including PDF.
That would lead me to expect student tablets to have a screen large enough to display a printed textbook page without reduction.