truly active way is messier than the
sterile chronological list that the
current reader apps provide.
We surveyed our students before
and after the experiment. The feedback
suggested that we should rethink how
to take notes, and that the list form was
neater and invited more thorough note-taking. The students were more willing
to experiment than their teachers.
Perhaps much of the resistance we
and our students experienced was because we knew how to actively read a
paper copy. Maybe with more practice
we will become increasingly proficient
with the process. While I’m still
looking at new app releases and
waiting for that game changer,
at this stage, a hard-copy book
is preferable for active reading
and discussion of a text.
The ability to engage
in a truly active way
is messier than the
sterile chronological
list that the current
reader apps
provide.
While I’m still looking at new app
releases and waiting for that game
changer, at this stage, a hard copy
book is preferable for active reading
and discussion of a text.
It is true that electronic texts have
many advantages, including portabil-ity and environmental concerns, and
recreational reading of e-books can
be extremely satisfying. In the end,
however, we discovered that using
technology to actively engage with
a text is still a work in progress.
Our Frankenbook experiment
showed us that the experience was
not seamless but rather symbolic of
the monster that had been assembled
by Victor Frankenstein. Frankenbook
was pieced together, and we were trying so hard to make it fit because we
really wanted evidence to support
leaving those dusty books behind.
Acknowledgment
The author would like to thank Camela Giraud,
10th grade English and journalism teacher, for
contributing to this article. Barrett and Giraud
presented their findings about this experiment
at the Florida Council of Independent Schools
convention.
—Joanne Barrett facilitates the exploration of
technology in the classroom and teaches AP
Computer Programming at the Out-of-Door
Academy in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
