dsta Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I was just curious about how others felt about getting their text books on an electronic device as opposed to an actual book. I'm really debating about which route to go. I'm used to paper books, and my main issue with electronic books is that you can't have multiple books open at the same time. However, some people prefer electronic books because you can have them with you on your rotations. For those of you that do use electonic books, why is that your preference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpRegulated Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 I've just started using them and the biggest reasons are they are far more portable (you can take as many with you as you want), they are searchable, and you can open them on any device anywhere. As for having more than one open at a time, the rare instance I've needed to do that I have one pulled up on my laptop and the other on by tablet (I use Kindle) or my external monitor, so I could open 3 books if I ever needed to. I also like to put the ebook on my external monitor while writing something, which is easier than having a book open on your desk (at least to me). One big drawback of electronic books is that you can't sell them back, so I only buy e-books that I know I will want to keep. Also, not all books make good e-books - those full of charts, tables, etc. don't always look so great, so I always review the e-book carefully before I buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonD Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 I've recently started using e-books (not text books) on an ipad. I generally like the convenience, portability and ability to read in low light, but I have observed a couple of negatives also. One, it's heavy. Holding the ipad in your hand for more than a couple of minutes becomes a pain. You need some type of stand or you need to prop it somewhere. The screen is shiny so it reflects ceiling lights really bad when indoors. I've also noticed a lot more typos's and errors in e-books, errors like paragraph breaks in the middle of sentences and long words being broken in two, like "approx imately". It's like the program that was used to convert the book into an e-book messed up and nobody proof-read it. My biggest problem is that now I'm carrying an ipad around, not a book. I can't leave the ipad in my car when I park it like I can with a book. When I get up to refill my cup at lunch while reading I have to worry about someone swiping the ipad while I'm up. All in all, I still prefer paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Ebooks if free (through school or not), paper books if I am paying for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 I like both, but if I had to choose I prefer hardbound books. I like to write/highlight etc on them while listening to lectures. For example it is difficult to write a concept map on a electronic device. Both have pros and cons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I tried e-books. I tried using books for free online through library. Could not do it. It all depends on what you are used to. I NEED To highlight and make side notes in my books (making highlights in e-books is a pain!). E-books are completely useless to me. Plus, reading a book > staring at a computer/ipad screen all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonD Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Another big pain with e-books in trying to go back and look at a table or chart on a previous page. Try going back to page 73 when you're on 132, then go back again. Kinda of hard to beat post-it notes or a folded page corner in a book for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstrat311 Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I tried the electronic book route, and absolutely hated it! Why? Some of the e-books that we used didn't have all of the pictures that the paper books have, and when lectures are being given, professors reference page numbers that coincide with the the paper books, and do NOT match up with the e-book. I ended up re-buying all of the "core" books in paper version. I have always been a paper book kind of person, some people in my class do like the e-books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreasmo Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 About half of my textbooks for this semester had access codes to a full online version. You can always look to see if the books you need have it because its really nice to have either option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsta Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 Thanks for the replies. I remember reading somewhere that studies have actually shown people learn better and retain more info from paper books as opposed to electronic. Don't know how much merrit there is to that, but I wonder if my mind would associate my ipad with games, music, movies, which would be harder to focus on reading on the ipad. Anyway, I decided to go with paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted August 5, 2013 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2013 REAL books stick shift cars analog gauges in cars watches that require winding paper charts/dictation acoustic music pina coladas getting caught in the rain old school baby, all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator True Anomaly Posted August 5, 2013 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2013 REAL booksstick shift cars analog gauges in cars watches that require winding paper charts/dictation acoustic music pina coladas getting caught in the rain old school baby, all the way. Did you post this on your smartphone? :;-D: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 REAL booksstick shift cars analog gauges in cars watches that require winding paper charts/dictation acoustic music pina coladas getting caught in the rain old school baby, all the way. HAHAHA LOL LMAO Sounds like a song. Almost like a rap song. :;;D: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted August 5, 2013 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2013 Did you post this on your smartphone? :;-D: you know better than that...you've seen my phone.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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