Kindles in Schools - Tech and Teaching

K2 - Edition

Kindle's Unique Selling Proposition:
Free Cellular Internet Connection

Reader Feature List:

Browser Feature List:

Software Versions

Tools to Create / Manage Ebooks

Teaching Feature List:

Kindle Teaching Best Uses

  1. The Kindle can replace, books, photocopies, notes etc - for a direct measurable cost and environmental savings
  2. Allow students read a book using larger type size to reduce eyestrain
  3. The Kindle allows wireless on demand distribution of content to wherever the student is. (homework assignments etc)
  4. The Kindle allow on demand access to dictionary, wikipedia and other reference websites
  5. Reduce the pounds of material (books/laptops) that students are required to carry.
  6. The Kindle allows (slow) access to webmail, web class websites, and other web tools.
  7. Accessing Custom Web Content/Tools Designed for the Kindle - other pda/mobile web browsers - example - Kwrite

Teaching Worst Uses

  1. Having students take notes using the kindle of books on their kindle - inefficient compared to paper
  2. Having students do online research - the wrong tool for the job
  3. Having students submit large written assignments to the web (example blog posts) - the wrong tool for the job
  4. Reading PDF Documents - wrong tool and requires attaching to a computer

Teaching Program Dependent Uses

Listening to Audio Books - Requires attaching to a computer

If the Kindles are owned by the school, then the teacher can set up each Kindle with the audio books they would like the student to listen too. If the students had to load mp3 on their on to their own kindle it would be much more effort than it is worth.

The Future

Kindle Development - Kindle Apps

Active content will be available to customers in the Kindle Store later this year. Your active content can be priced three ways:

Copyright 5-13-2010 By Scott Wickham