Reflections

Here are some reflections about Kindle use (by my students):

The Kindle definitely makes reading easier because of the features that can be used while reading. I am an extremely lazy human being and this lackadaisical work ethic makes it difficult to actually open up a book and read, that’s where the voice feature comes into play. I can have the Kindle read to me like I'm a child and the convenience is unbelievable. Secondly, some of the works we are going to study this year include some intense vocabulary. The Kindle allows me to highlight a word I am unfamiliar with and find the definition. Before this, I forced to open up dictionary.com and find the definition manually, an action that a lethargic person such as myself, dreaded. Flipping the pages of a book is overrated and the Kindle advocates that. I can now highlight quotes and save them without having to write down what page and line set quote was on. So, assignments that require quotes (which are almost all) are finished more efficiently and with less effort required. -Kevin

Personally, I really enjoy using the kindle. I have never owned a kindle before, and I think it is easy to use and it comes in handy because I don’t have to carry around numerous books. I think the kindle makes reading easier because it has a screen that replicates a book. The screen isn't hard to stare at for long periods of time because it barely looks like it is even lit up, however, the words are clear and easy to read. One feature I personally really like about the kindle is the ability to change the size of the text I am reading. Sometimes I would get headaches reading a regular book with microscopic text, but now I am able to adjust the text and make it larger and easier to see. I think the kindle most certainly motivates me to read more because it is easy to get books on it. Also, there are hundreds of books that are free, so I am more likely to check those out too. In addition, the text to speech feature seems like something I would enjoy because I like hearing a story read out loud. I think it helps me understand it easier. The kindles’ were definitely a great addition to our English class. -Dawn

Reading has never been something that I have enjoyed.  Ever since I was young, I would skip pages, skim through books, and in some cases just not even read the book.  However, using the kindles have made reading a lot more fun for me.  Shockingly enough, it has made me much more motivated to actually read the books that we are assigned to read.  I can’t really pinpoint what about the kindles it is that motivates me to read more, but whatever it is, it is working for me.  The one feature that I really enjoy is the text to speech.  This makes reading the book a lot easier for me.  Also, having the ability to look up words that I don’t know right on the kindle is very convenient.  This will come I handy when reading authors like Shakespeare who use language that is unfamiliar to us.  All in all, kindles are very useful and I think all schools should use them instead of books.-Joey