[nfbwatlk] Princeton Students Don't Like Free Kindles, U.S. News & World Report, October 1 2009

[Prows, Bennett (HHS/OCR)]

Hmmmm,  Sounds like Kindles might be considered *kindling* by students.

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From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Nightingale, Noel
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 2:26 PM
To: 'nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org'
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Princeton Students Don't Like Free Kindles, U.S.
News & World Report, October 1 2009


Link:
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2009/10/01/princeton-students-do
nt-like-free-kindles.html

Text:
Princeton Students Don't Like Free Kindles
October 01, 2009
Jessica Calefati

When Princeton University administrators brokered a deal to have 50
students receive free Kindle DXs preloaded with their course material
for the semester, they were hopeful students would see the devices as
useful, sustainable academic tools. Instead, most of the students who
received free E-readers say they're dissatisfied with the device and
find it inconvenient to use, the Daily Princetonian reports.

"I hate to sound like a Luddite, but this technology is a poor excuse of
an academic tool," says senior Aaron Horvath. "It's clumsy, slow, and a
real pain to operate."

Horvath added that using the Kindle has forced him to change the way he
studies and digests reading material.

"Much of my learning comes from a physical interaction with the text:
bookmarks, highlights, page-tearing, sticky notes, and other marks
representing the importance of certain passages-not to mention margin
notes, where most of my paper ideas come from and interaction with the
material occurs," he says. "All of these things have been lost, and if
not lost, they're too slow to keep up with my thinking and the
'features' have been rendered useless."

While some professors, like Harriet Flower, find the Kindle beneficial
because it is easier on her eyes, professor Stan Katz wants to wait and
see if he can teach and students can learn as effectively using a
Kindle.

"I require a very close reading of the texts. I encourage students to
mark up texts, and . . . I expect them to underline and to highlight
texts," Katz says. "The question is whether you can do them as
effectively with a Kindle as with paper."

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