tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482539598651030631.post8389286385985261352..comments2011-04-21T09:19:44.545-07:00Comments on Ms. Thompson's Blog: Digital Textbooks and The KnoJennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03475767054272980266noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482539598651030631.post-25976491180450878342011-03-06T07:19:26.631-08:002011-03-06T07:19:26.631-08:00Christine,
Oh my I loved your YouTube video post ...Christine,<br /><br />Oh my I loved your YouTube video post for me! It was awesome, I love that since Professor Boling has talked to our class that I feel our classmates are getting more creative in their responses! Your video was such a fun thing to wake up and watch this morning!<br /><br />First, I really think that the text to speech on your kindle is awesome. This is actually one of the things that I was concerned about, because I know that when a computer reads text it sounds so much like a robot and can be so boring/the incorrect way to pronounce a word. For example, my boyfriend's gps recently decided to pronounce Lakeview Drive (prounced Lake view) as La (as in singing la la la) key (as in a key you open a door with) view. I was afraid that text to speech would actually not help students out, but your kindle shows that text to speech is getting less robotic. I think it would be really awesome if companies could somehow make the text to speech version the audio/books on tape version of the book. While I realize that would be extremely difficult to program, I think it would be awesome to have the text to speech be different authors/readers.<br /><br />Also, I loved that you were able to show me how you can change the font size! I never realized how big you can make the font (as I noticed there were still a handful of sizes bigger that you could've made the text after you made the text larger for me to see). I really think that this could help learners who have difficulty reading and even students who wear glasses. By changing the font size I feel like they will get tired less quickly and will be able to read more.<br /><br />Thanks for the great reply Christine! I really enjoyed it!Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03475767054272980266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482539598651030631.post-76046062209492635012011-03-06T07:09:15.059-08:002011-03-06T07:09:15.059-08:00Tom,
As someone who wants to teach math as well I...Tom,<br /><br />As someone who wants to teach math as well I definitely see the interactive qualities of digital textbooks as a plus. I like the fact that they can pull down to reveal more steps of the problem as well.<br /><br />I also wonder which device will become more popular in schools. Personally, because the iPad gets more media coverage and is known about more nationally I have a feel that will be the device that gets more attention even by schools. But I think that the Kno is more adapted for students and looks like it would be a great addition to the classroom. I think that the Kno is still in its beginning stages despite being on a second version, but it sounds like if you and your class are willing to have the company see and hear how you use it in the class you might even be able to get a great discount on a set.<br /><br />Overall I just think that the idea of digital textbooks is soo cool and recently when I was interviewing at the Rutgers Education Career Fair I actually found some schools that are beginning to implement them!Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03475767054272980266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482539598651030631.post-78823657006922862742011-03-06T07:03:44.493-08:002011-03-06T07:03:44.493-08:00Tawanna,
I really think that digital textbooks ar...Tawanna,<br /><br />I really think that digital textbooks are most useful when they are as interactive as possible. Like you I was not allowed to make notes or highlight my books in school because the following year's class would need to use them. If you did happen to make notes you usually had to pay a fee. Also, I agree that many schools do have internet access, but I've experienced that schools only have a class set inside their actual computer lab and in order to use it you must sign up or hope that no one is using it when your class wanted to use it. However, I do see this as being an obstacle that you can definitely overcome. I'm glad that you can think of a student that this technology would really help, as I said in my presentation, one of my biggest pros was that students would no longer have to rush back and forth from their lockers, instead they might not even have to go to their locker between classes.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03475767054272980266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482539598651030631.post-48104627906487235692011-03-06T06:54:33.429-08:002011-03-06T06:54:33.429-08:00Hi Jenny,
Wow! I want a Kno! Imagine the possib...Hi Jenny,<br /><br />Wow! I want a Kno! Imagine the possibilities....<br />I wish I could get one now. You mentioned the iPad and Nook above. My wonderful husband gave me a Kindle for Valentine's Day. I love it! Here is a little video I made in response to your blog.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/user/cfarrellteachC. Farrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03959219413010425237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482539598651030631.post-18714930752867563532011-03-01T17:38:58.429-08:002011-03-01T17:38:58.429-08:00Ahh this is so cool. I read the article you poste...Ahh this is so cool. I read the article you posted about California's use of the iPad. As a math teacher, I was struck by the interactive component of the software. The article says students can "see problems step by step; they drag a finger down the page to reveal more steps." Especially for algebra, this could be a great tool for differentiation and helping students with those little mistakes that sometimes derail them when solving a problem.<br /><br />I also checked out the video on the Kno you recommended. It looks pretty cool. It will be interesting to see whether a mass-market device like the iPad or a specialized device like the Kno becomes more popular in schools. Thanks for doing the research and putting together this post. I learned a lot!<br /><br />Cheers,<br />TomTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04466838090044887991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482539598651030631.post-50577838596573209282011-02-23T21:22:16.000-08:002011-02-23T21:22:16.000-08:00Jen,
I really like your blog post on digital text...Jen,<br /><br />I really like your blog post on digital textbooks. Students in today’s classrooms are growing up in a digital world, and I think that digital textbooks can help create a rich learning environment. After reading your post, I realized that digital textbooks are not only environmentally friendly, but also more helpful for different learners. I think one of the greatest features of a digital textbook is the fact that it is interactive. Moreover, I think that it can really accommodate different students. For example, while reading a text, I always use my highlighters so that I can look back on different sections to gain meaning and understanding. Before I reached college, I was never allowed to highlight my books because they had to be reused by other students in different classes. I think the fact that students can take notes and highlight words in a digital textbook like The Kno is great! Students can interact with a book in their own way! I can definitely see myself using this technology in my own classroom, especially because it makes it easier for students to transition between classes. When I was teaching 5th grade, I constantly had to remind this one student to hurry up while he was at his locker. It literally took him over five minutes to go to his locker, take out his books, and come to class. It was the same routine all the time. In general, many of the kids struggled with the locker situation, especially after lunch. It was very time-consuming! I think that digital textbooks would help students manage their time better because they would have all their reading materials right there in one source.Teehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03158285719667557886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482539598651030631.post-72055174062279985372011-02-23T21:21:27.777-08:002011-02-23T21:21:27.777-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Teehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03158285719667557886noreply@blogger.com