Catarina Wilfong | Writer
September 20, 2024
In recent years, there has been increasing controversy over the topic of Kindles in classrooms and whether they should be allowed or not. A Kindle is an electronic reading device with endless access to books of all genres. It can be groundbreaking for those who struggle with reading on paper and can even turn non-readers into avid ones.
Despite the fact that Kindle has increased the number of readers since the time they were released, many teachers dislike them, and for good reason. Teachers tend to dislike them in the classroom due to the fact that they have access to the internet meaning they could possibly aid in cheating for some students. Some teachers also see Kindles as a distraction, for it is difficult for some older generations to grapple with the concept of online reading. When I asked Eva McCarty, a junior at San Clemente High School, she claimed that although Kindles are “cool if you are going for practical” if schools assigned Kindles to us in school, “we would just have an extra thing we don’t really need.” It is true that it is unnecessary for schools to require Kindles to students because although they can be helpful for some, they can also be a great distraction to the easily distracted bunch.
However, Kindles have been proven to do more good than harm in schools: for they take up less space, have essentially an endless library, save paper, and are more affordable in the long run. They are great for saving money because one book in today’s economy is around $20, while Kindles cost roughly $10 a month for unlimited access to books. Another pro to Kindles is the fact that they are “good for reading and annotating in class” a San Clemente High School junior, Macie Armbruster, explains. This further proves the positivity Kindles bring to the classroom, for it can improve the learning experience for so many students, allowing them to fully understand the topics they are learning about.
Although many seem to find kindles a negative factor in the learning experience, they have been shown to increase the number of readers for enjoyment and comprehension of literary material. Hopefully in the future online readers will be more accepted by teachers and the Kindle will be normalized as a valuable learning tool for many in this century.
An argument put forward by non Kindle users is “We don’t need kids to have more screen time!”. However, kindles are not normal screens. There isn’t a backlight shining through. They use eInk technology so look like print on paper but much more clarity as it doesn’t smudge. The light is thrown across the page to make it look like paper. Also many young kids have undiagnosed eye conditions and struggle to read normal print. With a Kindle they can adjust the light to suit and use blue light or a warmer orange lightand they can enlarge the print to a comfortable size. They can change the font to one they can read more easily; for example serif v non serif, wide v narrow. There’s line spacing and margin sizes available. And there’s even a font that helps kids with some types of dyslexia called Open Dyslexia font. There are options to translate a word if the book is not in the kid’s first language. There’s also an option to use Wikipedia to look up facts, a dictionary for definitions as Popups without having to leave the page.
Kids can highlight passages that mean something to them and write notes. Every word a kid looks up gets added to a vocabulary list and then they can then use flashcards on the Kindle to test their understanding with definitions when they flip the cards. And many of the classics are free to download. A paperback book can cost around £12.99 or more but you can buy kindle books for as little as 99p or on average about £4.50. Kindles also have the option of playing the audiobook which is an alternative access for kids struggling with print. Or, they can carry out other activities at home like household chores and continue the story that yre reading on the Kindle as many kindle eBooks sync with the professional narrated book. If kids have visual information impairments there is assistive audio on Kindle devices too. And unlike other tablets and laptops that need charging all the time, Kindles can be charged away from a classroom and stay charged for a couple of weeks. I find Kindles easier to use than a normal book with my hand/arm disability. Kids can also access their books on their phones, laptops or other devices. Alexa will read their book to them if they have Echo devices at home. For younger kids I’ve found a Kindle device really nurtures an interest in books, especially for certain young boys who don’t connect with reading as early. It’s very easy to use and a good introduction to electronic devices and media for kids.The thousands of books fitting on one device is an amazing space saver. And the books don’t deteriorate or need replacing. English Lit teaching would no longer require very long arms to carry a pile of 30 copies of same book just for one class. The colour kindle is here too meaning covers of books and illustrations can be brought to life.