I know that we are all about the Kindle here at EduKindle, but as others in this space step up their games to compete with Amazon, I plan to look at all comers and compare what they offer to the Kindle value proposition. The real emphasis here is on the “edu” part of EduKindle, so…
The Kindle in the Classroom
Maybe the Kindle Community Can Help Justin Get His Homework Back
by Will DeLamater
You might have heard the story. In the midst of the big “kerfluffle” over Amazon’s pulling back of the illegally distributed copies of 1984, student Justin Gawronski awoke one day to discover that all the notes he had taken on the book as he read it on his Kindle were rendered useless. Not gone, just…
DLC Publishes Kindle Plan for Schools
by Will DeLamater
The *New* Democratic Leadership Council recently published a white paper by Thomas Z. Freedman that details the rationale and the economics of deploying Kindle ereaders to schoolchildren across America. In a thoughtful approach to envisioning the cost, the method, and the timeframe for getting a Kindle into every backpack, Freedman says We shouldn’t wait a…
Launching Kindle Educators
by Will DeLamater
This week I created a “partner” site for EduKindle called Kindle Educators Group. The idea is to build a discussion around ideas and experiences related to the use and/or potential use of the Kindle ereader in the classroom and as a “learning appliance” (see my post on this topic here). This forum is built on…
eSchool News Leads with Story on Kindle DX
by Will DeLamater
You know that people are paying attention when eSchool News puts a Kindle story on the front page! The article contains nothing new in terms of information about the DX and the schools that will be piloting it, but several quotes from those involved sum up the situation: The Educator: “Is this the watershed device…
Is Kindle the perfect learning appliance?
by Will DeLamater
The devices that we use to access content are getting smaller and smaller. One could make the case that the iPod Touch and the iPhone are in fact small pocket computers, and one wouldn’t be far from the truth. (The coming update to the iPhone operating system promises to allow, among other things, the ability…
Why Educators Should Mourn the Departure of the SD Chip Slot from the Kindle 2
by Will DeLamater
Can’t find the expansion slot for additional memory on your Kindle 2? That’s because there isn’t one. And, as I have indicated in earlier posts, that’s not a good deal for educators. This change seems to be part of the “closing” of the Kindle, where a sleek form factor trumps functionality. If the Kindle is…
Why Fewer Buttons On the Outside of the Kindle 2 is Bad News for Educators
by Will DeLamater
There is another way in which Amazon is “veering away from supporting educational uses.” The Kindle 2 actually makes it harder to manage the settings of the device. How? Most importantly, the Kindle 2 pushes the wifi “on/off” setting into a menu and removes the button from the exterior of the device. Stylish, yes. Helpful,…
Why Kindle 2 Isn’t Good for Education
by Will DeLamater
OK, ket’s be fair. Amazon created the Kindle as a consumer device for reading books, novels primarily, with a little assistance on the side for newspapers, magazines, and blogs. As a business system, the device actualized the ebook value chain for the biggest etailer of books on the planet. It only makes sense. It also…
More Tudors on Your Kindle
by Will DeLamater
I don’t know if anyone else has gotten hooked on the Showtime series that portrays the life and times of King Henry the VIII of England, but after catching up with seasons One and Two on DVD, our household settles down on Sunday nights for a journey back to the 16th-century and the Tudors. Of…