With all the pros and cons, discussions and recriminations regarding eReaders, it's important to realize their use beyond the middle-through-upper-class use for entertainment. The international organization World Reader (WR) sees them as a viable outreach to developing nations’ education programs.
In the recently-begun a cooperative with Ghana, Kindles are now in the hands of hundreds of students. Although the WR program was developed by a former Amazon.com exec, other eReaders are also being tested for this type of use and WR administrators are hoping for the development of a more-rugged implement that will withstand the rigors of in-school application.
Impractical? I think not. One eReader, at a cost of less than $150.00 U.S., can hold thousands of titles. Twenty printed books would cost more than the device; the initial investment to provide Internet service would be the biggest outlay and with the eReaders, each child would have their own copies of valuable information. World Reader is also working with the Ghanaian councils to have Ghanaian authors’ works produced in ebook form. Not only will students have educational tools, but cultural offerings as well—a good incentive for reading.
This should be inducement for eReader companies to toughen up their products and go for a new marketing scheme. Barnes and Noble, whose textbook branch already provides the company with important revenue, could flourish in this setting.
We need to start looking at the eReader innovation as more than an entertainment gadget for affluent techy urbanites. The potential is there for so much more.
Thanks for the post, Kae. I have a Kindle, but I'm sure I'm not using all its capabilities.
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