Throughout the inquiry assignment I used the Pathways to Knowledge method of inquiry. Using this inquiry I finally came to the conclusion of which possible e-reader would be best used in a school library media center. Although there are many of devices that are used for the purpose of reading electronic books, there are many that are more in the public eye than others. These are the devices that I decided to focus on for this assignment.
What I came to realize is that the best device, in respect to price, functions, usability, and overall use of the product is that the Nook color seems to meet the most standards. While the price may be a little more expensive than that of the regular Nook and the Nook simple touch devices, the price of the product has gone down extensively since its release and the subsequent release of the Nook Tablet a year later. A little over a year ago the price of the Nook Color was over 250 dollars after tax nowadays it is only 169 dollars (Barnes & Noble 2011). With new devices always coming out, competition will eventually lower the price even more. Another advantage that this device has is that it is the perfect mix of the physical book reading experience, with being on an electronic device. The touchscreen and lcd display mimics the animation of turning a physical page on a book rather than just changing an image, (Moon, 2011). This is good for people who are skeptical about moving on to e-books.
The Nook Color seems to support the most file formats as well. In a school library media center this can be extremely useful. Right now it can read power point present presentations, Pdf, html documents, e-pub, and so much more (Marlowe, 2009). School librarians won’t have to spend more money on having to purchase a file over and over in order to be compatible for their e-reading devices. As a school librarian I would want something that is the most volatile for use. Devices like the amazon kindle only support one type of file for their e-books. With the Nook Devices, one can purchase files from multiple places and not just the Barnes and Noble online store, this ultimately helps in saving money, allowing for better budgeting within the library’s department. Another advantage of this usefulness is that a School librarian can create PDF’s of physical copies of their collection and put them on the device as long as it falls under fair use policy or any policies that protect libraries from copyright infringement. While this will not necessarily allow for the book to be taken out of the library, it does make the text more readily available for users inside the facility. The Nook is also capable of using web applications to aid the hearing impaired whether it be through audiobooks through purchasing audiobook playing apps, or even music playing with a preinstalled Pandora application (Wehner, 2011).
Overall I feel the Nook Color introduces students to emerging technologies without abandoning them in unfamiliar territories. With all the useful functions it has for helping students with their reading experience, it is a great device for any school library to have.
References
Moon, Brad. “Is the Barnes & Noble Nook Color Right for your Family?” Wired Magazine. 11 April, 201l. Accessed 14 February 2012. http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/04/is-the- barnes-noble-nook-color-right-for-your-family/
Marlowe, Scott “E-Book File Formats”. 3 October, 2009. Accessed 12, February, 2012. http://www.scottmarlowe.com/post/E-Book-File-Formats.aspx
Wehner, Mike, Tecca, “Nook Tablet vs. Kindle Fire: Is Either Tablet a Solid iPad Alternative”
Yahoo News, 7 November, 2011. Accessed 12 February, 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/nook-tablet-vs-kindle-fire-either-tablet-solid-174519742.html
Peter,
ReplyDeleteGreat choice! I had no idea that you can create PDF’s of physical copies within the collection and put them on the device. A perk your Nook Color has that my Nook Simple Touch does not is the audio capabilities. Nice job :)