Pros and Cons of E-Readers

E-Readers are still a fairly new technology, especially when being used within a classroom. There is much to be learned about the advantages and disadvantages of e-readers within the classroom. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences on this topic! Many thanks, in advance!

I have a kindle, and I absolutely love it. The benefits for my personal use, are the most obvious - just one tablet to bring along on those long car trips, instead of multiple books. Another benefit, as well as distraction, is the many game applications available for download. I also adore it for allowing me to read in the darkness of my room, without needing an additional source of light.

Speaking mainly of pros and cons relating to students in high school and below, some benefits I see to e-readers are simply that they are technology! Students today LOVE technology and are always interested in it. They seem to learn so quickly as technology changes. Because it is a piece of technology, they are interested, therefore some may read more on an e-reader than from a book. Another benefit to some e-readers is that you can highlight a word to find its definition! There is no stopping to go and look in a dictionary... just highlight the word on the screen, and there is the definition. I believe students are more likely to look up the meaning of an unknown word when reading from a e-reader, than when reading from a book. There is also an option to change the size of text. This may help many students when reading. Then again, a pair of glasses may be all that they need, in the same case.

When discussing special education students, the e-readers may be a better option for many who have trouble turning the pages of a book. With an e-reader, one only needs to push a button or slide a finger across the screen, to turn a page. There is also the "text-to-speech" function that some e-readers offer. If a student is really having a hard time pronouncing a word, he/she can use this function to hear the correct pronunciation of the word.

Some disadvantages of e-readers are the fact that many people read texts by first skimming the contents, reading headlines, etc. This option is quite difficult on an e-reader due to the fact that you would have to turn many pages to skim the headlines, which is easier done with a book, newspaper, magazine, etc. in hand. Another disadvantage is the amount of applications available for e-readers. They are often more than just readers. There are many very fun addicting games available. While you think your child may be reading, he/she could actually be playing games. This is not to say that there aren't distractions from reading all around us while we read, however, when they are all located within the same place as the texts, it can be difficult to avoid them.

One topic I have yet to understand is how schools are comfortable with giving e-readers to students. In many cases they are given grants to buy these e-readers, however, I still wonder at the ability of students to take care of the e-readers. I envision smashing them in backpacks, dropping them, losing them at home, etc. If your child has an e-reader from school, please explain. Thank you!

Lastly, a link from Scholastic, on the use of E-Readers. Thanks!