E-Readers
The University of Manchester Library has acquired a set of Sony e-readers in order to investigate their practical uses in an academic library environment.
If you are interested in using the e-readers in your teaching, please contact the E-Learning Support Team at;
uml.e-learning@manchester.ac.uk
Sony PRS-505
The first set of e-readers the Library acquired are Sony PRS-505s. This is an early model which allows you to load and read content in a variety of formats, including pdfs. The display uses an E-Ink paper like screen with no backlight or flicker, which potentially allows you to read for hours - even in direct sunlight and at virtually any angle. Other functions are the ability to bookmark pages and automatically find the page you were last reading. There is also the option to upload and listen to audio files, and to load and view images.Sony PRS-600
The Library has since purchased a further set of e-readers, the Sony PRS-600. This is a touch screen edition which, along with all the functionality of the basic model, allows you to turn pages with the slide of a finger, create annotations on the virtual keyboard and highlight text with the stylus pen. You can search for books or words using the virtual keyboard or double-tap a word on-screen and find its meaning in the built-in dictionary.Projects
- Dr Guyda Armstrong, School of Languages, Linguistics & Cultures, level 2 module 'Love Poetry for Beginners'.
Each student taking the module was loaned an e-reader which had been pre-loaded with a copy of the set text and around 20 digitised book chapters and journal articles from the course reading list. The same content could also be accessed via Link2Lists and BlackBoard. The E-Learning Support Team provided Dr Armstrong's students with an initial training session in the use of the e-readers, and they were then asked to keep a weekly journal of their experiences of the machine, and also to complete an essay on the use of the machine for their course assessment.
'The use of library E-Book readers has transformed my medieval course provision this year, and has animated the course in quite unexpected ways... the convenience of the device clearly contributed to an improved level of background reading amongst the students relative to previous years.' (Dr Guyda Armstrong)
- Dr Jerome De Groot, School of English & American Studies. Milton 1608-2.0
Dr De Groot's module 'Milton 1608-2.0' aims to encourage students to use a range of new technologies and software in their learning. The e-readers were again loaded with a selection of scanned book chapters and journal articles from their reading list. The Library E-Learning Support Team provided initial training in the use the of readers, and the students have been asked to create a reflective blog/diary on their experience of using the e-readers.
For a more detailed report on these projects please follow the link below...
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E-reader Projects 20090/2010 (PDF, 20 KB)
E-reader Projects 2009/2010