A CALL OUT TO TEACHERS!

[theblackpaladin]

This is a call out to teachers for all levels of education!  I'm meeting with a Kindle Representative at the college I attend tomorrow.  I have many ideas for where the Kindle and Amazon needs to go to achieve a classroom presence, but I want other opinions too.

This is not a critique, but rather an open pool for suggestions.  What would the Kindle need to do to gain your support as a teacher?  What tools would you like to see on the Kindle?  What new capabilities would you want to see?

Any ideas are welcome!

[kindelken]

Hello, Black; no doubt you heard that one high school in Florida is using the Kindle; wonder if maybe you can discuss it with them? I saw it on the TV news and found them at http://www.clearwaterhighschool.com/

Seems to me they were buying Kindles quite a bit more expensive than the $139 unit I just got. I suspect the $139 unit would be able to do just about all you would want it to do; a great way to go, imho as a former teacher/professor.

Best wishes. No wonder I read somewhere that text publishers are worried.

[Cindy416]

I'm trying to find a way to get some Kindles for my elementary Title I reading classes. I love the fact that there's a built-in dictionary, and think that my kids would really benefit from that. The one suggestion I have would be for Amazon to have a way to allow more than 6 devices on an account. Although I'm trying to get 3 or 4, and the limitation of 6 devices per account wouldn't be a problem for me, I'm sure larger classes would find the limitation to be a problem.

[kiazishiru]

well, a way to turn the buying and/or webbrowsing off would be nice. You can turn the internet off but kids these days know how to turn it back on, if they can read they know how to turn it on...

[QuantumIguana]

The cost has to be addressed. In the future, e-readers are likely to be a lot cheaper. Having school accounts that allowed larger numbers of students to read the same book would be useful.

[ScaryMerry]

Administrative controls would be fantastic. That would allow parents to prevent their children on their accounts from reading some of the parents' books (I recall a mom on facebook who was concerned about her ten year old having access to her romance novels). as well as letting schools prevent student purchases on school-owned Kindles.

Also, it would be really cool if there could be a way of affiliating Kindles into groups. Like have a way for Kindles to view the notes and highlights of other members of a particular group, rather than all Kindle users in general. That would be excellent for both classes and book clubs. I know an English teacher that requires her students to take notes on their reading in the form of post-its placed within their respective books. Allowing a group highlight/note-sharing function would let the teacher easily access all the notes/highlights of her students. As a history teacher, I could use that function to highlight important parts of the assigned reading and add notes to it for all my students to read and use in their studying.

[McGee]

Tell them they need a way to turn off 1-click buying.

[kb7uen Gene]

Personally, with the Kindle for PC on a netbook and a Kindle 3 combined, you have an unstoppable combination.  You can read, web surf, and other task, with the Kindle 3, but it is Kindle for PC on a netbook with it's long batter life, that will allow a student to take great notes and so on, then you can sync it all over to the Kindle 3 and have all your information on both devices.  You can also have one book open on the Kindle 3 and another open on the Kindle for PC app.  You can have all your handouts on the K3 and KPC and move back and forth between the two devices.  The whole arrangement can go in a smaller backpack or messenger bag, and would only weigh with all the usual stuff carried by a student maybe 5, 6, or 7 Lbs max.

fourteen years ago, I would have died to have what I have now in term of flexibility, power, and small size.  I remember many days after school being wiped out when I got home because of the excessive weight of all the books and other materials I carried to and from school in a large backpack.  I'm glad those days are long past me, and so is my back, shoulders, and feet.

Gene

Gene

[McGee]

Personally, with the Kindle for PC on a netbook and a Kindle 3 combined, you have an unstoppable combination.  You can read, web surf, and other task, with the Kindle 3, but it is Kindle for PC on a netbook with it's long batter life, that will allow a student to take great notes and so on, then you can sync it all over to the Kindle 3 and have all your information on both devices.  You can also have one book open on the Kindle 3 and another open on the Kindle for PC app. 

How about this all in 1? 



http://www.entourageedge.com

[ScaryMerry]

How about this all in 1? 



http://www.entourageedge.com

Omg, that thing is terrible. Like kill it with fire, terrible.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/12/entourage-edge-review/

[kb7uen Gene]

Oh yeah, I remember seeing it way back when on the web before it was released, it was a big deal at the time and a lot of people where excited about getting their hands on one.  I wonder how their sales are with the kindle, iPad, Galaxy Tab, and all the other products which have come along since this products release?

Gene