Andrew Lingo INSYS 597 April 2,

History of e-books _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1998 saw the first dedicated electronic devices for acquiring books and periodicals. The growing interest in converting paper books to bytes as well as writing new titles in digital form has resulted in a collection of hybrid definitions of e-books. Initially, books converted to a digital format were defined as e-books. Other definitions include book titles that are available online, that can be read as , that can be retrieved via portable electronic reading device, or as a file that can be downloaded to a computer.

History and Definition (Continued) More recently, digital content which users read is referred to as publication. The physical device used to read a publication is called a reading device. The combination of software and hardware that processes content presented to users is called a reading system.

Hardware-Based Readers: ie: Dedicated Readers/Handheld Devices/Slates Strengths  You can store hundreds of titles of books, s, training manuals, or references, making them ideal for convenient access to reading material from virtually any location.  They have features such as instant searching, note taking, cross-referencing, bookmarking and interactive dictionaries.  The backlit display in font size can be adjusted to improve readability.  New features are always being developed which allows print, video, audio and wireless communication.  Kindle 2 includes text-to-speech.  They allow for interactivity between students and teachers.  E-books offer increased security and encryptability.

Usage and Needs Analysis Overview  Ebooks are ideal for technical jobs that require access to lots of information.  Training manuals and job aids can be referenced quickly and efficiently using information stored in e-books.  Academics can hold hundreds of titles in a related field for cross-referencing  Distance learners can benefit through this asynchronous tool.

Support for Instructional Strategies  E-books can be used to store large amounts of training information, manuals workbooks and references in a portable and practical way.  Ebooks offer a practical and interactive platform on which to deliver materials.  Options such as search, note taking and highlighting allow for customization and interaction  Permanence and security are enhanced with e- book usage.  Content costs for ebook materials are % lower than printed material.

Software Based Readers  In addition to e-book reading devices, general- purpose software book readers can be used on personal computers or laptops.  They function similarly to dedicated readers but no special hardware is required.  Microsoft Reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader are three examples of such software.  They are free and generally offer extra facilities through a keyboard and a larger screen size.

Weaknesses/Limitations  Reading online or with a reader is not as comfortable as printed materials.  Although simple to use, older workers may be resistant to reading electronic text.  Cost: Kindle is