Reed College has published a report on the Kindle pilot project they undertook this year. The study reports that e-readers are useful in many ways but have too many shortcomings to be a standard device at this time. Especially weak were annotation and bookmarking capabilities. My favorite line:
When students were asked if they would purchase a Kindle DX (or
other dedicated eReader) for academic use, they indicated that the price would need to drop
dramatically –– to less than $100 –– in order for them to seriously consider purchasing one.
I appreciate the perspective and thoroughness of a study such as this. It helps cut through the rhetoric about new hardware “changing” education and properly define the time frame for meaningful change as years.
Richard Kassissieh is Director of Technology and Learning Innovation at