[brecklundin]

After reading through the list of updated & reformatted books HarryT just put up I got to thinking about ebook adoption in schools.

I am thinking that with a basic reader, or even a more advanced with Kindle features such as dictionary/thesaurus features and even the much maligned Wikipedia would be a huge boon to teaching literature courses at any level. But I really see huge savings to schools. No more complaining they cannot teach classic literature because of the cost of the books...there are FREE and there for the asking. All that is missing are the low cost devices to make it happen.

With a Kindle kids could download a book all at class time and get to work right then and there. Or even if given the reading list combine that with some list like the Mobi format books HarryT and others have done or the one over at Feedbooks and cripes kids could have a summer/vacation reading list.

Of course given the low value we no place on a real education I am guessing there would be huge resistance and not all of it by the lucrative deals publishers have with school districts. But they too would be in there fighting...because a supply of books that cost say $500/class would now cost NOTHING, EVER...

Or maybe instead of phones parents would be asked to buy readers for their kids but at a discount as that would be completely deductible for the company providing the devices. What a way for Amazon to get Kindles into every kids hands??

It was just the sheer volume of books out there that should be, but never will be read by kids because the schools complain of the expense. Well, guess what, this might expose the fact the real reason is teachers simply are not equipped to actually teach anything. Or perhaps it is apathy on their part because of a flawed & decaying system...either way the books are there now for NOTHING.

Parents think nothing of spending $50/mo for a cell phone for the child..why not make a reader device available for like $100 with completely free readers for lower income folks. These could be used the whole time they are in say high school. Not sure about lower then that as, seriously, they kids are more computer literate then the teachers.

It makes sense that if they force parents to now buy uniforms for kids why cannot something that actually helps kids learn and become better thinkers be mandatory?

This was just off the top of my head and not thought out completely but I think I made the general idea clear enough...