So here's where it's at:
Tool #1 was the Kobo Wi-Fi Reader:
I used it to read pdf's on the train. It was difficult, and slow, but it beat printing thousands of pages to carry with me. It had no capacity for highlighting or note-taking, so when I got home, I would rush to my computer and hook up to Mendeley (document management system), and try to make notes on there before I forgot the whole article. It was an awkward system, but the alternative was spending a fortune on paper and ink. Not an option. I burnt out the Kobo with overuse. It died in January. RIP.
Tool #2 is a new Sony PRS-T1:
It is smaller, and smarter. It reads pdf's a little more easily than the Kobo. In both machines, pdf's work best in landscape mode, so turned on its side, each page is divided into 2 sections to scroll through. You can crop the margins, which is nice, and there are different font sizes (which are unpredictable). There is a pinch/zoom feature so you can zoom in on diagrams, charts, etc. Now, let's talk about notes and highlights... It is possible. Sometimes. I haven't yet figured out how to know which pdf's will allow highlighting, and which ones won't. It's really hit and miss. Some do...some don't. You never know until you try. The really cool thing is that IF you are able to highlight a word or phrase, then you have options to "Highlight, Note, Google, Wikipedia, Search (dictionary)" so you can get a lot of extra info. Also in notes, you can either type them, or draw them onscreen! There are something like 12 translation dictionaries built in too! Apparently, you can also sync your notes with the Sony Reader software on your computer, but I haven't tried that yet. I'm not sure about importing notes (with texts) from other sources. I've been off work (layoff) since I bought the Sony, so it hasn't met the commute test yet. It's going with me tomorrow when I start my new session. I don't anticipate any big problems. (although the universe may have something different to say about that)..
Tool #3 is the iPod Classic:
I could never afford an iPhone, but it's not necessary for my purposes anyway. My old iPod Classic is what I use to take podcasts with me. Two of my courses have made substantial use of podcasts, and since I can't stream them (no wi-fi...remember), it's really easy to take them with me for viewing on the train. Sometimes older technology does the job just fine. But it IS one more piece of equipment to carry....
Tool #4 is an Acer Iconia W500 Windows tablet computer:
This baby broke the bank. When I bought it, I thought I would be able to carry it with me for reading on the train, but I quickly realized my folly. It's waaaaayyyy too expensive to flash around on the TTC! My students were held up at gunpoint for their iPhones, so this would be taken in no time flat, I'm sure. It's a beautiful machine, with full Windows capability. It does everything my "real" computer does, and has an optional attachable keyboard if you are going to be stationary. I decided not to use it for commuter reading, but it HAS been useful in other capacities. I use it at work when I am doing marking in class (exam time), and also for training webinars (Moodle training). I also use it at home for portability inside my apartment! It's nice to not have to sit at the computer desk, and just curl up on the couch with this thing...or in bed. So, mobility in my house has been nice! But the best thing about this, is that it's PERFECT for carrying between cities when I travel home to visit the family. Inter-city trains have Wi-fi on board, so I can do everything I need, and when I get home, I have access to everything WITHOUT having to take my heavier laptop home with me.
Tool#5 is an LG P505 smartphone:
My first smartphone. I bought it just before Kobo died, and then was kicking myself for spending the money. I have used it for making notes to myself (Evernote), but not much else related to studying. It can do Youtube, and Twitter, Facebook, and all of those social things, but the problem, as usual, is that there isn't usually any signal, unless I'm home. Mobile phones aren't all they're cracked up to be if you can't get a signal.
So last week, in my week off, I decided to go visit my parents for a few days, and knowing that I had tons of reading to do, and a couple of online meetings and Second Life meetings, I was trying to decide which tools to take with me. I packed up my iPod for a great music selection, my Sony for all those pdf files, my phone for ...well... you can't live without a phone...., and my Acer, with keyboard, for computer access when I reached home. Plus all the power cords, earphones, microphones, styluses, and carrying cases. I couldn't lift my bag! Before leaving the house, I stopped to remove the Sony (I could get the pdf's online once I got home), and the iPod (will just have to do without music....maybe I can find an online radio station instead), and got rid of the microphones, styluses, and one set of headphones. I took only the computer and the phone. I regretted it immensely. Note to self: NEVER TRAVEL ON VIA WITHOUT IPOD!!! NEVER NEVER NEVER!!! Screaming babies always sit beside me...if the train was completely empty, they would STILL park the screaming baby in the seat next to me. It's one of the laws of the universe.
Back to studying.... It seems incredible to me that I need all of these tools in addition to my computer....just to carry around all of the media that I need in this course. I feel like a walking electronics shop. If I could count on having an internet signal, then I wouldn't need all of these gadgets. One gadget could do it all! But since I spend the most part of every day without wi-fi, I need ways to take the books, the pdf's, the podcasts, the videos, the music with me. It's almost like the resources are too advanced, too smart, too digital, and what I really need is for them to just dumb-down a little. For the most part, I use a sort of combination of Sony + home computers (with Mendeley and Evernote) to do most of my reading and studying. It's not a perfect system, but I'm not sure there is one!
So how do YOU read? Vote in my poll! Top right!
