My proposal, along with Phoebe Acheson, is to take a look at how e-readers like Kindle change (or do not change) the writing classroom. We are currently performing a study in an English Lit classroom where we have replaced the students’ print texts with Kindles (kind of like the Folger’s switch!). A few questions we have been discussing:

  • How does mediating text using this particular device change reading, comprehension, in-class discussion, and writing?
  • What kinds of pedagogical applications may there be for e-readers in the classroom?
  • What should libraries be thinking about in providing access to electronic texts using these devices (there is a lot of talk about “on demand” collection development).

I think this discussion could be related to Brian Campbell’s “What are the spiritual impacts of technology” session idea. Is there something lost or gained in the use of the e-reader in the writing classroom and in the library?