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Grad school textbooks on Kindle... would you?

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mia1181

mia1181

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So I know there are a few avid kindle users on here.

I''m really thinking about getting a Kindle for my textbooks this semester because I think I might be able to read faster with it. What do you think?
Here are the pros and cons that I can think of:

Pros
I am a bit of a tech-geek so I love all things electronic and gadgety
Not having to carry around heavy books
Reading is faster, right?
Text-to-speech, can hook it up to my car speakers and listen while driving (I am in the car for at least 2 hours per day)
For open-book tests (I''m in an online program) I can search for words to find answers quickly.


Cons
$- It''s $250 for the smaller one (is that big enough?) on top of the cost of my books
While the digital versions are slightly cheaper than hardcovers, I won''t be able to resell the books I don''t think I will use again.

So what other negatives are there? Maybe it''s not as much faster than I think it will be? Maybe the screen does strain your eyes?

So what do you experienced Kindle readers think?
 
I think it depends on what type of books they'll be. I would not want my fluid dynamics or fourier optics lessons in digital form because one has tons of coloured pictures where the colour gradient is important (does the kindle do colour, and if so how well?) and the other has tons of formulae that would be a pain to have to keep switching screens to refer to. I think textbooks that are mostly text would be great books-on-file, though..
 
That''s a good point Yssie!

My degree is in counseling so those books will not have many images. But my concentration is in Applied Behavior Analysis, so there will be a lot of charts and graphs in those books. However, in the past they''ve been black and white.
 
I would buy the textbooks on Kindle if:
- The cost was significantly less than the cost of the actual paper textbooks
- I believed that these are books I would want to keep and reference for a long time (I''ve only kept about 10% of my grad school books, and sold or given away the rest.)
- I couldn''t find cheap used versions of the paper books (or borrow from people who have already earned the degree)
- I was 100% sure that they were all available on Kindle

I just bought the smaller Kindle three weeks ago and I really like it. (The screen is large enough for me.)

Have you tried Kindle yet? I don''t love the text-to-speech option, it''s monotone and goes right from one section to the next without pausing. I think that I would not be able to just listen to the text and actually understand it well because the function isn''t that great.

The screen doesn''t bother my eyes at all. It''s just like reading a paper book.

Not having to carry all that weight around is a huge plus, in my opinion. If I was required to use several super heavy books in one semester, I might buy some on Kindle just to alleviate the stress of carrying all those textbooks.

I do love the search function on Kindle, and I''ve found it easy to take notes. I''m a big note-taker, so that is super important to me.

I would borrow someone''s Kindle before you make a decision, if you can. While a lot of people love it, many don''t, and for something as vital as studying for school it would be well worth your time to try it out before you buy one.
 
It seems to me that your pros are much stronger (and IMO more important) than your cons. I do very much agree with Haven to try and use one first before you commit to it. I tried to transition to Kindle and just couldn''t for scholarly reading. I use it for leisure reading successfully. I also find that a significant amount of what I need to read in my field isn''t available on Kindle. It is probably an issue of time, but it was hard for me to transition between the mediums, too.
 
Hmmmm I wouldn''t do it, personally. When I write papers or do other work where I need to access pages/notes quickly, I find electronic books super annoying to use. I tried to use the electronic version of one of my books at the beginning of the semester and I bought the book after 1 week of suffering through the electronic version!
 
Wow. I feel old I didn''t even know they made electronic versions of text books. I have no advice but I am going back to school for the same degree. I think this old lady will stick to real books though.
 
I don''t think I would either honestly for the same reason as thing2of2
I prefer books - plus when you''re a therapist, it''s great to be able to photocopy parts of books for clients (even textbooks) and they do kind of look good on your shelves! :)
 
The Kindle takes a little bit of getting used to however I love it. I have medical textbooks on mine and I love that I can bookmark and take notes on pages. This save so much paper. I love that when I need to access something during my day I don''t have to carry the large texbook around in my bag with me.

That being said, sometimes viewing charts is a little difficult since they are reduced in size to fit on one page. The zoom function is ok.
 
I have an e-version of a textbook that I can access on any computer. I thought I''d love it, but I find it kind of difficult to use when I''m trying to skim. IMHO, its easier for me to handle a textbook. Like others have said, I would test drive it out.

ETA: Not being able to resell books is a negative, but there are times when new versions come out or professors change textbooks, and then you can''t sell your books back anyway. Just something to keep in mind.
 
Have you thought about the possibility that not all books or readings you need will be available on the Kindle? For my grad school, there are plenty of custom publications I''ve had to read and individually purchased articles. I''ll be done with grad school this summer, but looking back at my schedule, I never had to be stuck on campus anyway because the classes are usually in large chunks in the evening to allow for daytime work. I almost never had to lug books around with me for this reason. So, consider the individual aspects of your program and that should help you make your decision.
 
Textbooks on a tablet PC? Absolutely. On an iPad or Kindle, no way.
 
Let me know if you want to play with my Kindle for a few hours one day! I love love love it and if I was still in school I would get textbooks on it in a heartbeat.
 
I don''t know if a Kindle would be great for textbooks, but I know for sure I wouldn''t like the smaller one for them. If I would to get them, I''d go for the bigger one. But then, I also don''t like the bigger Kindle.
 
I wouldn''t do it either. I am doing a phil PhD. Firstly I don t like reading on a screen. And secondly (and more importantly for me), I like to write in the books. Now I only do this to my own copies (never ever library copies- I hate when people do this), and I always do it in pencil, so I can rub out. But underlining and putting key words next to certain paragraphs is a v. important part of the way I do my work.
 
I''m in grad school and have a Kindle and would totally get all my books on it if they were available in Kindle format -- alas, many of them are not. I''m surprised yours already are! If they are, go for it -- you''ll have one device with all of your books, meaning you can read/do class work anywhere whenever you have a few minutes.
 
Date: 4/25/2010 5:27:00 AM
Author: mousey
I wouldn''t do it either. I am doing a phil PhD. Firstly I don t like reading on a screen. And secondly (and more importantly for me), I like to write in the books. Now I only do this to my own copies (never ever library copies- I hate when people do this), and I always do it in pencil, so I can rub out. But underlining and putting key words next to certain paragraphs is a v. important part of the way I do my work.
Click to expand...
I''m the same. It is not my book if I haven''t gently written in the margin with a pencil. That way I can skim the page for my notes to find what I want.

But I like that you can use the electronic version to find the word you want in an ''open book'' that would be tres cool.
 
Thanks everyone for giving me some more things to think about. Instead of responding to you each individually, I''ll respond by topic since a lot of you seem to agree.

Note taking- well I''m definitely not a note-taker when reading. So that shouldn''t be a problem. I do highlight some key words, but that''s usually so I can find them quickly during tests and the search function should take of that.

I should also add that I am enrolled in an online program, so I have already had a bunch of reading assignments that were on the computer. Some come in PDF form, but I''d love to not have to print out 20 page PDF files to complete one short writing assignment.

Books- Another thing I should explain is that I am not actually going to be a counselor when I graduate, I''m going to be a behavior analyst. So books on a shelf are not an issue to me. Studying for an important certification exam is important though so I have to consider whether I''m sure I can do that on kindle.

Tablet PC- hmmm hadn''t thought of that. I''d love an excuse to get one. My concern would be that the bright screen, like the ipad, would be hard on my eyes.

Book availibility on Kindle- Well all of my books for next semester are available (although not significantly cheaper at $10-$20 savings). I do have a book list for my whole program so maybe I''ll spend a little time looking them all up and seeing what percentage are available.

Weight of books- Because I''m in an online program I am not actually lugging my books to class. However, I do travel a little during the semester because as long as I have internet access, I can attend class. When I went to Japan it was such a pain to carry all my textboooks in my carryon so I could read on the way. I''m not one to sit at a desk to study so even moving from couch to bed with my books has been such a pain.

Which Kindle to get- I''m pretty sure I''m going to go ahead and try it. But now I don''t know which to get. T-gal: why didn''t you like the larger one? I''d like a larger screen, but I don''t think I could hold it with one hand which I''d love to do since I read in bed a lot.

EricaR- Which one do you have. Hmmm... I think I may need to take you up on that offer and give it a try. I have the inlaws in town though so I don''t know if I''ll be able to get away. I''m also just going to look up the return policy and see if I can just return it before buying the books if I don''t like it. I know there are free books to try.
 
Date: 4/25/2010 11:27:54 AM
Author: mia1181
Tablet PC- hmmm hadn''t thought of that. I''d love an excuse to get one. My concern would be that the bright screen, like the ipad, would be hard on my eyes.
Click to expand...


Tablets have special screens. And I think the number one advantage of using a tablet is that you can take notes within the textbook or copy it into OneNote and do all kinds of stuff.
 
mia--Based on all the details you shared, I would totally try the Kindle if I were you.

I spent the last year selling and giving away HUNDREDS of books that I''ve accumulated over the years in an attempt to live with less stuff, so the Kindle has been the perfect solution for me.

None of my professional texts have been available in Kindle form yet, but when they are I will definitely start using them on Kindle instead of in paper form. I''ll be teaching five undergraduate classes and one graduate class in the fall, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I''d LOVE to be able to get all of my textbooks on my Kindle instead of having to lug them around with me.

The *biggest* potential issue I see with using textbooks on the Kindle is that there are no page numbers. Does anyone know if you can see the paper textbook''s page numbers on Kindle? I could see it being an issue when you''re instructed to turn to "Page 17" if you don''t have page numbers.

And on a side note, your avatar makes me smile every time I see it. I know I''ve told you this before, but your little Oliver (right?) is really one of the cutest guys around.
 
mia, as Haven said, page numbers would be an issue for me...not sure how it works with textbooks on Kindle.

As for the bigger one...well, it appears bigger and I don''t think it would be comfortable just for regular reading. The dealbreaker for me is that the page turning buttons are only on the right of the Kindle. The smaller one has page turning buttons on the left and right of the screen. I often turn with the left button. If this is no big deal to you, then it would be fine.
 
Date: 4/25/2010 11:27:54 AM
Author: mia1181
Books- Another thing I should explain is that I am not actually going to be a counselor when I graduate, I''m going to be a behavior analyst. So books on a shelf are not an issue to me. Studying for an important certification exam is important though so I have to consider whether I''m sure I can do that on kindle.
books if I don''t like it. I know there are free books to try.
Click to expand...
Oooh. How did you choose/get into that line of work? Can you describe the positions you could take?
 
Uh-oh Haven and T-gal, no page numbers could be tough since teachers often assign "pages xx-xx" in reading assignments. So can you skip ahead to different chapters? My professors have had us read texts out of order in the past, so that would be a problem. As a side note, I've read that a few colleges are experimenting with kindle programs, so at least I feel like I'm not completely crazy with this idea.

It looks like there were page numbers on the kindle app on the ipad, so now I'm considering that one too. I'm just concerned about eye-strain, but at the same cost of the kindle DX, it might be nice to have something that can do other things besides display books. Ahhh! I'm really torn right now between Kindle 2, DX, ipad!

Haven- Aw that's so sweet that you remember Oliver's name.
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He's a little pain in the butt but we love him!

Steal- So are you at all familiar with ABA? I'm actually going to be a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis). So we are primarily concerned with Human Behavior and the functions that a behavior serves. ABA can be used in any field because it's based on the principles of behaviorism (behaviors occur when they are reinforced), however it's typically used with children with special needs, especially kids who have Autism.

Right now I work as a behavior therapist (working 1:1 with kids improving behavior and teaching new skills) but when I get my BCBA I can work for the same company as a supervisor (I can be the one designing the programs for each child). But also BCBA's are hired by school districts, hospitals and places like that. I think the biggest demand is with kids with Autism because we use our methods, not only to decrease problem behaviors, but help these kids learn socially significant behaviors that help them function more in a social world (teaching eye contact, verbal skills, etc.).

ETA- Oh and I chose this line of work because I used to nanny and pretty much became obsessed with the ways that parents (and heck, myself too) could be reinforcing problem behaviors in their kids. I also took care of a little girl who had some special needs so I got really interested in working with kiddos who had some challenges to overcome. Thanks for asking. So far I'm pretty happy with my career change from teaching (my original field).
 
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