eBooks - Technology in Learning 5 of 5

One final impact of technology is with textbooks.  As a professor, I feel textbooks are crucial to your learning.    Most professors will expect that you have read and understand the information in the book and then will build on that in their lecture and class.  The price of textbooks is skyrocketing and many professors are working to control the cost to students through eBooks and online articles.  This presents many positives and negatives.

The benefits:

• You, the student, will save money.
• You will not have to carry around very heavy books – all you will need is your portable device.
• Publishers are refining eBooks to aid in your learning: enabling you to take margin notes, highlighting, inserting quizzes as you read, definitions, additional information, etc.

The negatives:

• At the end of the semester the book will disappear from your device.   You cannot keep it for future reference.  You cannot share with a student or sell it back at the end of the semester.
• As a reader you will have to work harder to be actively involved with the material.  As mentioned above, many eBooks now enable you to have a split screen – the text on one side and the ability to take notes on the other.  You can also take separate notes.
• In some cases, it is harder to leaf through the entire chapter and get an overview of the organization.
• Distractions are a major problem.  It is too easy to flip to email, twitter, or whatever the most current social network is.  Consider turning those off while you are studying!
• Of course, there is always the chance your devices will malfunction.   Your school should have a technology office to help you!

There is one thing we know – things will always be changing.   Be aware of how you learn and what you can do to make the newest change work in your favor!

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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.