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Very interesting article. "iREAD (Impact on Reading of E-Readers And Digital content) Ghana Pilot Study" Another example showing us the traditional standardized test doesnt seem to be a suitable type of assessment here. But in addition to that there are many interesting findings related to IT literacy, benefits of the teachers and increased access to learning materials. (never really thought a simple hardware such as e-reader itself will be this 'transformational' to certain countries across the world) 

This article summarizes some research findings that suggest that electronic readers, such as the Kindle and iPad, are still inferior to the printed page and may even worsen student comprehension of material. The most up-to-date information technology seems inadequate for educational and academic needs.

I've always been interested in the use of these so called 'e-readers', how they hopefully will take the place of books, will let you take notes right there on the digital text and will seriously lighten you backpack. Obviously these things haven't quite caught on yet, but the techology is certainly starting to get better and better in this area!

Do e-readers aid dyslexic students? They actually could do much more, but the vendors are happy to make claims without building in those capabilities...

18 ereaders>1 Library?

The PULP platform is an example of a writer trying to respond to people wanting more than traditional publishing. If this platform, or something like it, was widely accepted by people it might build a better case for alternative forms of publishing in education

I was always wondering where the ole A4 came from...

To celebrate the importance of books and reading, Scholastic is launching You Are What You Read, a social networking site for readers around the world. Users log on to www.youarewhatyouread.com, list the five books that had the biggest impact on their lives, and connect with readers all over the world through these shared "Bookprints." The site also contains the Bookprints of more than 125 "Names You Know" - notable people from entertainment, academia, business, media, publishing, and more - including Scarlett Johansson, Al Roker, Sir James Dyson, Venus Williams, Jodi Picoult, Malcolm Gladwell, Judy Blume, and President George H.W. Bush... More links: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publishing-and-marketing/article/44983-scholastic-launches-social-networking-site.html http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholastic-launches-social-networking-site-you-are-what-you-readcom-106024583.html http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/10/28/scholastic-launches-social-network-focused-on-reading http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/read-scholastic-launches-social-reading-website/story?id=12000023 http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publishing-and-marketing/article/44983-scholastic-launches-social-networking-site.html http://www.bookpublishingreport.com/content/scholastic-continues-90th-birthday-bash-social-networking-venture http://www.galleysmith.com/2010/11/01/you-are-what-you-read/ http://www.tigertalesbooks.com/blog http://www.youthradio.org/news/scholastic-launches-facebook-for-readers

The publisher, Melville House, has recently come out with the "hybrid book". This product includes a book and a corresponding DVD, which provides background information and pictures pertaining to the story. Although I see the educational significance, I am skeptical as to whether or not the hybrid book will catch on. 

Barnes and Noble releases the Nook, which is a competitor to the Amazon Kindle. It has E-ink on the top, and a color screen below.

The Daily Headhunt - an online game designed to help readers be more aware of the editorial choices made by online news sources

Ipod over Ipad- for struggling readers. Kids use the recording feature.

"Children spend five times as much time outside the classroom as they do in school, and our country has 30 million parents or caregivers who are not good readers themselves, so they pass illiteracy down to their children."

Are digital textbooks the beginning of the end for the college bookstores? 39 percent students surveyed used digital reader. We may be reaching a tipping point here.

The Foundation for Learning Equality is working to get content to the 65% of the world who live without internet. Currently their only project involves offlining Khan Academy lectures and loading them on SD cards which can be loaded onto Raspberry Pi servers and sent along with e-readers to anywhere in the world. To me, this seems like an incredible opportunity to simultaneously address quality and access issues in remote parts of the world, though I don't think Khan Academy's content is necessarily the best. As a technological innovation, however, I think there is a real possibility to scale this, insofar as there are on-the-ground resources in each location facilitating the learning on the e-readers. Does anybody have any critique or insight to curb my excitement?

Augmented reality is bridging divide between signing and non-signing communities.

"Nelson: Giving readers what they need to form their own opinions on the important topics of our time." While this platform has a lot of potential and a lot of positive aspects, I can't help but wonder if it's not just imposing a top-down system of learning. Although it's marketed as helping you form your own opinions, I'd argue that you're shoved in the direction of that opinion.