Nook? Book? Let's take a look!

My last post talked a lot about the features of eBooks and eReaders. This week, I want to dive into the real meat - what's better, books or Nooks? When I say 'better', I mean in terms of education. What will allow students to comprehend the text better? Which will motivate them more? The questions go on and on. So - what's better?

A Nook or a book? (source)

Well, in reality, there isn't a ton of research about this topic (boy, that was anti-climactic). The eReaders and such are still fairly new technology. As Dr. Schugar told my class today, the study he did with his wife and colleague found that for college students, there was not much difference between students that read on eReaders and those that read traditional text. Definitely check out the article here. Here is an excerpt from that article, discussing the results of their study:

"Overall, whether reading from a text or an eReader, students recalled the same number of idea units from the text, regardless of what mode of reading they used. Likewise, on all but the first Quick Write, there were no discernable differences in the complexity of student responses. On the whole, students’ responses were fairly low-leveled, and few students were able to provide responses that looked at the material beyond what was explicitly and implicitly stated in the text" (Schugar, J. T., Schugar, H., & Penny, C., 2011, P 183).

So, the idea here is that it's really not much different whether you're reading on an eReader or in an actual book. I would say that what makes a difference isn't the device you're reading on - it's whether you're reading for meaning or not. I feel that personally, as long as I'm reading with a focus, I don't get less out of an eBook than I do out of print. As long as the students are reading meaningful, quality texts and comprehending them, I think either works. There are pros and cons to each, of course.

One thing we talked about in class today is that while eReaders are highly motivating - they can also be very distracting. On an iPad, for example, one might get sidetracked by playing around with the many features instead of reading. Also, it's more common for people to be executing during-reading strategies - such as highlighting and note-taking - with traditional texts. Personally, I have a Kindle, and I highlight from time to time. However, I mostly read for leisure on my Kindle. I read texts for academic purposes with traditional text, and I highlight and write notes often. Perhaps if I read more informational texts on my Kindle, I would take notes and highlight more. I'd be interested to try it and see if if makes a difference in my own life.

So, will I use eReaders in my class? Definitely. Will I use them all the time? No. As I touched on in my last post, I want to use those devices where it's appropriate. I want to use them to supplement learning, not as a big flashy show - ooh look at me, I have an iPad! Those devices are great and all, but they should be used in a meaningful way, not just because they're available. As we discussed in class today, I want to use technology to transform my learning, not just because I can.

What are your thoughts on the Nook vs. Book debate? Have any articles you'd recommend? Feel free to comment!