The fairly new Kindle Fire has many of the same
applications that are available on a smart phone, but the surface area is
larger, so the font can be larger and more screen is visible than on a phone.
When wi-fi is available, you can surf the internet, download books and apps,
and play internet games. The screen is touch activated and has a touch keyboard
screen that appears when needed. The font size can be adjusted, books can be
stored in your cloud or on your device, and it is very easy to use. You can
check out library books or buy your own copy of a book you want to read and
download it to your device. I have not yet used mine for an audio book, so I
don’t know what the audio quality is as compared to an ipod. I love traveling
with mine. My husband always complained about the weight of my suitcase when we
traveled because I didn’t want to run out of books to read. Now I carry my Fire
in my purse, knowing I can get new books easily if I run out. I have four
translations of the Bible loaded and have the capability of searching them and
having multiple bookmarks. I don’t use the highlight feature too much because I
didn’t use the physical highlighter on a paper book very often, but it is
available as well to help readers take notes. The game apps help pass the time
when waiting in a doctor’s office, and again, it fits in my purse.
I could see
the Kindle being used in educational settings. The obvious use would be for
books to read in an English class. Each student could be issued their own
Kindle (around $200 each when bought individually, so it is cheaper than an
iPad) loaded with the books for the course. Teachers could download assignments
to each student’s Kindle Fire if they have wi-fi in the classroom or if they
have a USB cable connection. Educational games such as math practice games could
be loaded for practice in other subjects. For those who need help with reading,
there are apps to translate or to read aloud. Because of its size, it won’t
really fit in pockets, but it is not cumbersome. It certainly is much more
manageable than a typical textbook. After reading some of Marc Prensky’s
articles on technology in the classroom, especially the one where he recommends
“disposable technology”, a Kindle Fire is a very real option to enhance
learning in the classroom.
