eBooks - the killer app for handheld learning? Gareth Johnson laments the plight of those who read eBooks on the big screen - but he doesn't want to buy a dedicated eBook reader, or be tied down by the DRM of Death on the Kindle or iBooks. So here's the view from the desktop:
My thanks to Alan for asking me to produce something on eBooks for this blog, doubtless as a result of my
recent post on my own blog. I'm talking primarily about books that I'm accessing from various libraries, rather than eBooks that I own. Since I don't own (and don't intend to own) a portable eReader, personally purchased eBooks are not of any interest to me. I guess my experience in reading eBooks is a bit different from anyone just reading chunks of a work, or seeking to read for pleasure. I'm reading a lot of entire books at the moment to broaden and develop my subject field knowledge. And because libraries increasingly want to save money on shelving space and re-shelving staff the eBook is a sexy prospect for them; but one that I would argue significantly diminishes the experience of the serious scholar.
Anyway between my previous post and the short film I've made, there's probably not a lot more to add - except to summarise what has been my experience to date:
- Reading entire eBooks on a computer screen is painful
- Publisher DRM heavy interfaces make the experience worse
- Being unable to easily print or access a copy of the book off line is a pain
- PDF is a more acceptable and intuitive format than most publisher interfaces
Our next informal Handheld Learning gathering will be on Tuesday 5th March at 12.30pm, in the usual venue of 105 Princess Road East - in the Learning Innovation Studio. 