Future of the book? Challenge of the digital world

Pat Pledgerhttp://www.readplus.com.au

What is an e-book?

• Book that downloads into an e-book reader or onto a computer

• Latest jargon for a paper book is p-book!

Availability of e-books

• International Children’s Digital Library• Project Gutenberg• National Library of Australia• Authors like Neil Gaiman, Cory Doctorow and J.K.

Rowling are offering free e-books• iPad apps for books like Animalia, Little Peter

Rabbit• Search WebLinks Online for ebook sourceshttp://www.weblinkresearch.com.au

Types of eBook readers

• Amazon Kindle uses e-Ink, looks like a book• Sony• Barnes and Noble Nook• Borders Kobo• iPad is backlit. Has app for both the Kindle asnd

Kobo as well as apps to read epub open source• iPhone

Formats: eBook readers

Different formats• Pdf• Amazon : .azw, .mobi• Epub: iPad, Sony,

Kobo• IPhone

Advantages of reading on e-book readers

• Portability• Size of print• Dyslexic readers find reading on

an e-book reader a better experience as the problem with crowding of letters disappears

• Audio• Dictionary• Ability to bookmark and take notes• Instant access to books

Advantages of e-book readers

• Cost with Kindle books• Sample chapter downloads• Ability to synchronise on different types eg

Kindle, iPad, computer• Access to 1,000’s of free ebooks• Interactivity on iPad

Disadvantages of e-book readers

• Difficulty swapping books from I device to another

• No uniform platform• Page numbers, citing• Not as usable as print• Lending issues

Digital rights management

• Publishers cannot sell ebooks unless the copyright holder has given explicit rights for book to be sold in Australia

• Books have different publishers in different countries

• Publishers like Random House Australia now have ebooks in different formats

Digital rights management

• Libwise (Fictionwise.com) Used by Ozebooks.com.au• NetLibrary (EBSCO)• Warner Books• Ebook Library• Overdrive (Loretto Normanhurst)• Issues: Cost and Content Source: Fiction Focus Vol 24 2010 Issue 3

Lending platforms

Textbooks on eBook readers

• US Research shows colour and diagrams didn’t show up, but individual taste dictates use

• In survey 100 students. Yes, 53% 21% maybe

Features of future e-book readers

• Purchase books across reading platforms

Future• Longer battery life• Added content like author

reviews, reading guides and read similar authors

• Models designed specifically for particular age groups:

Young children, large buttons, good audio, multi-media and large print

Senior reader easy to use, light and cater for diseases like arthritis

Classroom and library use

• Motivate readers who are not very enthusiastic about reading

• Children were able to listen to the text, change the font size and take notes and these extras led to a better understanding of the book

Barriers to eBook use in classroom

• Students gaining access to the same material on e-book readers can be a problem for the classroom

• 6 Kindles for 1 account, but issue of students getting access to account,

• Kindle onto the PC, Mac and iPhone• Create own ebooks

Ability of people to read and understand the digital word

• Aristotle: three lives for a good society: 1. productivity and knowledge gathering; 2. the life of entertainment, 3. life of reflection and contemplation

• Children may not be able to go beyond decoding words to the rich world of reflection that can come after reading

Ability of people to read and understand the digital word

• Reader felt more immersed in the printed word, rather than reading a traditional book or on a computer.

• It has been argued by Liu (Liu, A. 2010), professor of English at the University of California, that Web 2.0 offers a different view of reading and contains a social experience.

Will the printed book die?Only 4 of the 97 students had an e-book reader.53% preferred print 3 of the 4 students with e-book reader,

preferred print.

21% would read more books if they were stored on eBook reader

Conclusion

More e-book devices are coming onto the market. With developers adding books to the iPad and more books becoming available in e-book form, educators will need to keep up with trends and test devices to see if they will improve the educational outcomes of their students.

Contact details

• http://www.readplus.com.au• pledger@readplus.com.au• PO Box 173 Kangarilla. SA. 5157.• Ph. 08 83837381• Fax 08 83837391• Edna ebook group:http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=2497