Thursday, December 3, 2009

#22 Ebooks & #23 Audiobooks

I liked Librivox, as I enjoy listening to voices on my little MP3 player, and this gives me another source of resources. Could these free files also be downloaded and catalogued into the school library?

Like many other readers, younger and older, I prefer the traditional version of the book, although I have to confess that I haven't used ebooks personally. This will be one of my aims in future learnings. Wikipedia gives an interesting comparison of the advantages and drawbacks of books vs. ebooks. One of the future uses of ebooks could be for school textbooks as students like the electronic access to information, and if there is an economic advantage schools could take it. The environmental argument is also worth consideration, as perhaps in the future paper books will become rather special items to own and value, somewhat like horses did after the invention of the car. Unfortunately, paper books do tend to deteriorate over time, as my bookcase attests.

Audiobooks are quite well used in our school by readers who are obliged to read for assessment but do not like reading words on a page. They are a valuable resource. MP3 players may become a tool much more used in the school environment for educational rather than entertainment purposes. I am reminded of the use of podcasts which appears to have various school applications.

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