eBooks and eReadersErica Ellsworth

What is the need?• valuable addition to the technological advances

that draw students to colleges. • allow colleges to offer students a low cost

alternative to print textbooks. • offer students a more convenient alternative to

heavier, bulkier print books. • logical choice for textbooks for programs that

offer distance and online programs, • mimic and accompany the technology that is

offered in distance education programs.

What eBooks and eReaders offer

• Replace paper books• Green choice• Cheaper choice• User friendly• Lighter and more portable• Offers Digital Natives a choice in material that

meets their preferences/needs

S Curve

1970 – Personal Computer and Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg brings electronic editions of books to internet.

Basic eBooks on electronic tape (1930)

2000 – MS Reader – pregeneration e reader

Have we plateaued????

2003 Adober eReader and Acrobat are combined

2004 Sony’s Librie uses elink technology

2007 Amazon releases the Kindle

2009 Kindle 2 is released

Commercialization

• Amazon Kindle• Barnes and Noble Nook• Sony eReader• Project Guttenberg• Bartleby• Google Books

Technology Consideration

• Format – PDF, specialized format for each reader

• Sharing – between readers; computer; Project Gutenberg, Kindle’s lending program

• Price – reader, books• Ease of Use – colorization, sort features,

downloading books

Early Innovators• UT Austin and Houston Community College, Arizona State

have all piloted eReaders. There are pending legal cases (esp AZ State) in reference to requiring eReaders over print books

• Project Guttenberg was the first digital library. This changed how to access and borrow books.

• Even though the Kindle and iPad are the latest (“greatest”)

in eReaders, they are not the first. The first magnetic readers (30 plus years ago) and first generation hand held readers showed earliest promise of eReaders

Laggards

• Public libraries – will this make libraries obsolete?

• Pending legal cases on the requirement of eReaders in school

• Some students prefer the ability to have a print book (note taking, ease of sorting information, etc).

Strategies to Diffuse• eReaders and the text to speech feature have to

improve to meet federal guidelines for disabilities act

• Prices of eBooks must be lower than those of print books to make them more desirable

• eReaders must have sort and note taking functions that are clear and easy to use and reaccess

Notes on pilot programs

• From 2010 Horizon Report: • “The Kindle DX, a larger format version of the device expressly built

for academic texts, newspapers, and journals, is being piloted at Arizona State University, Ball State University, Case Western Reserve University, Pace University, Princeton, Reed College, Syracuse University, and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.”

• “Northwest Missouri State University and Penn State have embarked on pilots using the Sony Reader.”

• “Johns Hopkins is piloting the enTourage eDGe, which combines the functions of an e-reader, a netbook, a notepad, and an audio/video recorder and player in one handheld device.”

Why does it matter to schools?

• Leverages technology in place• Innovative• Lower cost and overhead compared to print

books• Easier and cheaper to update than print books

Why does it matter to students?• From 2010 Horizon Report: “In a pilot program,

Seton Hall University's Teaching, Learning & Technology Center found that students appreciated the ability to store and review a semester's worth of material in electronic form.”

• Lower cost• Easier access• Ease of use• Innovative• Current

Proposal• Center for Teaching and Learning – will show the scholarship to develop

change (role #1) and explain how the innovation can benefit students (role #3)

• Chairs – will information share with designated testers (role #2) and will help CTL create atmosphere of change with instructors who will pass on to students (role #4)

• Instructors will help implement eReaders and eBooks (role #5) this will help students see advantage that will transcend one class (role #7)

• Because of training, chairs and designated testers can help trouble shoot with students and help students continue to use the innovation (role #6). This will help the innovation to continue to be used and for the pilot to be diffused more effectively

Roles for Diffusion

Rogers (2003) Seven Roles (p. 369 – 370)1. “to develop need for change” (369)2. “to establish an information exchange relationship” (369)3. “to diagnose problems” (370)4. “to create an intent to change in the client” (370)5. “to translate an intent into action” (370)6. “to stabilize adoption and prevent discontinuance” (370)7. “to achieve a terminal relationship” (370)

Critical Mass• Not reached; schools are not 100% eReader or eBook. The option is

there and there are a good number of students using the technology as a cheaper response to print textbooks.

• Because the technology improves and the access to free eBooks continues to increase, I think that eReaders and eBooks will start to trend toward critical mass in the next five years.

• The problems with text to speech have to be solved though to fully diffuse this technology, especially for learning disabled students. The price must also be lower than and be of a better benefit to users.

Final ThoughtseBooks and eReaders are not an innovation that will go away in the next year or even the next five years. According to the 2010 Horizon report, eBooks and eReaders are a growing trend. In fact, the 2010 Horizon Report noted, “Electronic books promise to reduce costs, save students from carrying pounds of textbooks, and contribute to the environmental efforts of paper-conscious campuses” (New Media Consortium, 2010). The 2010 Horizon Report hypothesizes that within three years, eBooks and eReaders will be diffused (New Media Consortium, 2010). The three main barriers to diffusing this technology are availability, illustrations, and publishing models (New Media Consortium, 2010). Because of the upgrades in eReaders, these barriers are quickly becoming surmountable. As the technology of eBooks is enhanced to include illustrations and ancillary material, readers are also being enhanced and upgraded to deliver the materials.

Final Thoughts

eBooks and eReaders are truly “the wave of the future.” By implementing eBooks and eReaders in a few classes now and having full implementation within 18 months, we would offer students innovative technology to match the current education and programs we offer in our distance programs. eBooks and eReaders are an enhancement that would greatly benefit our students and allow us to continue to show proven results in our programs.

ReferencesAbout (n.d.). Project Gutenberg Website. Retrieved from

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:About

Butler, D. (2009). Technology: The textbook of the future. Nature, 458(7238), 568-570. doi:10.1038/458568a

Dougherty, W. C. (2010). Managing Technology: E-Readers: Passing Fad or Trend of the Future. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(3), 254-256. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Hawkins, D. T. (2000). Electronic Books. (Cover story). Online, 24(4), 14. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Herther, N. K. (2008). The Ebook Reader Is Not the Future of Ebooks. Searcher, 16(8), 26-40. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

ReferencesKindling The Amazon e-Reader as an Educational Tool. (Cover story). (2010).

Phi Delta Kappan, 92(4), 22-23. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

McClelland, R. J & Hawkins, N. (2006). Perspectives on the use and development of a broad range of e-books in higher education and their use in supporting virtual learning environments. The Electronic Library, 24(1), 68-82. doi: 1022831491.

New Media Consortium. (2010). 2010 Horizon Report. Retrieved from http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/

Oblinger, D. G., & Oblinger, J. L. (2005). Educating the Net Generation. Retrieved from www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen/

ReferencesParry, M. (2010). Inaccessible E-Readers May Run Afoul of the Law, Feds Warn

Colleges. The Chronicle of Higher Education (online). Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/inaccessible-e-readers-may-run-afoul-of-the-law-feds-warn-colleges/25191

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th edition). New York: Free Press.

Ruppel, P. (2010). 5 e-Book Trends that will Change the Future of Publishing. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/12/27/e-book-publishing-trends/

Volokh, E. (2010). The Future of Books Relates to the Law? Michigan Law Review, 108(6), 823-846. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.