E-readers: No One Has All the Answers Yet

Today I attended a presentation about a joint study being conducted between the English and Computer Science departments at the University of Maryland regarding the use of e-readers for academic reading. What was interesting about the study was that it wasn't just about whether students preferred using an e-reader device over standard textbooks, but whether the simultaneous use of TWO e-reader devices was more conducive to academic reading.

On the surface, using two devices to read instead of one seems a bit odd, but the premise of the study was based on research that showed that individuals engaged in academic reading (reading to learn, to synthesize information and translate into research notes) often had two or more sets of reading material (books, research papers, etc.) in front of them, and that they would go back and forth between those sources as they took their notes.

So at the beginning of the semester, the students in this literature course (which appropriately is a course that studies the history and future direction of books) were each given one of these e-reader devices developed by the Computer Science department. Each of these e-readers were about 7"x10", used E-ink for the display, allowed students to write notes with a stylus, and were optimized for quick page refreshes and overall book navigation. Now that the students have had a few weeks to acclimate to the use of the readers, they are each going to get a second one and try using them simultaneously. Although the presenter didn't go into great detail, the e-readers apparently have the ability to transfer and synchronize data with each other, so the students can decide to tackle the same source material with both devices or perhaps create references between two different documents.

To me, studies like these really highlight the fact that the e-reader market is still a young market and that no one has all the answers. Mainstream e-readers like the Kindle, the Nook, and the almost-here iPad may lead the e-reader market when it comes to casual reading, but there hasn't been as much of a focus on what works when it comes to e-readers for academic or professional use. As was discussed after the presentation, there may be a shift in the very concept of a "book" is as people explore not only different ways of consuming text-based content, but ways of producing and presenting the content, perhaps with the addition of other types of media.

It'll be interesting to see what comes out of all of this several years down the road.

In Defense of Twitter

Since I've already defended Twitter in two other people's blogs this past week, I figured I should write my own post on the matter. That way, if I feel inclined to comment on Twitter use again, I can just post the URL to this entry and leave it at that (save myself some typing).

I wasn't enamored with Twitter when I first checked it out. I wasn't interested in the mundane things people were doing at the moment, and I certainly didn't think anyone really cared what I was doing.

But at cfObjective() 2008, it quickly became clear that Twitter could help me connect with fellow conference-goers and clue me in on what was going on in particular sessions, where people were gathering to hang out or go out, etc. And I've used Twitter ever since: I'm not on it every waking moment and I don't feel like I'm disconnected when I'm not on it, but I do make use of it.

I really feel that the simple trick to getting value out of Twitter is to follow people whose Twitter posts ("tweets") provide some value to you: information, insight, humor, whatever. Most of the people I follow are ColdFusion/RIA/Web developers, and they'll post any interesting links about those topics that they encounter as they surf the web. It's almost like a people-powered RSS feed of tech articles, except that you're getting the information from people you know and respect rather than random people.

Sure, there are the occasional tweets about where people are or what they're having for lunch, the tidbits of daily life, but those can be easily ignored if you're not interested. And yes, it can be a distraction if you're getting live updates from Twitter via a desktop client like Twhirl or Tweetdeck, but there's a simple solution to that: turn it off while you're working, and turn it back on when you're taking a break.

I'm not trying to push Twitter on anyone--you can live without it--but I think folks should give it a serious try before deciding one way or the other.