eReaders in the Classroom

eReaders and their place in the classroom seems to be a topic that is coming to the forefront of the education debate.  At times it seems like there is a dichotomy between the proponents of physical books and eReaders, a rift that cannot be gapped.  

I have a fondness for the physical book, and do not believe it will ever be truly phased out, but I also see great potential in the use of eReaders in the classroom.  The fact that a low end e-reader ($69 Kindle) can weigh less than 6 ounces and hold over 1,000 books is astounding.  With just a few of these in the classroom supplementing your physical library, you can open up so many more options to your students.  

Here is a simple list as to why I believe E-readers should have a place in the classroom:

• Physical books take up space, and with increasing class sizes space is something that is becoming more precious and hard to find.
• E-books can often be authorized on multiple machines, which means that one can easily obtain enough books to use in reading groups.  Often it is hard to have enough books to fill a reading group, forcing teachers to simple work with whats available (instead of what would benefit students the most).
• There are multiple places online that offer free e-books (a post for another day).  
• With the ease of acquiring books, teachers can get books for higher (and lower) readers that they may not have put in their normal classroom library.

These are just some of the benefits of integrating eReaders into the classroom.  Physical books will always have a place in my heart, and classroom, but the benefits of having multiple classroom libraries through eReaders will push me to obtain these for my classroom.