Thursday, April 28, 2011

Week 14: Free Post (e-readers or an Ipad)

Hello fellow ed-techies!

I am graduating in only a few short weeks, congrats to everyone who is graduating with me (especially the 5th year ed-techies!) and I am seriously considering purchasing an ereader (nook or kindle) or an ipad and need some advice as to which would be the best purchase and make the most sense. I guess now is an excellent time to map out the pros and cons of each piece of hardware to help make my purchasing decision easier.

Price:
The ipad is obviously the priciest of the 3 options-looking at more than 500 dollars, and that is a hefty price  tag. The nook is the low price of 140 dollars, while the kindle is 150 dollars. Based off of price alone, the nook would win, but if price was the only consideration, I would spend 10 dollars on a book instead. There are much more pressing factors to consider when making a hardware purchase.

Color:
As far as I know, only the nook and the ipad have color, the kindle does not. If I were to use this piece of hardware as a simple ereader for novels and reference books, color would not be a deciding factor, but if I were to bring it in the classroom for children, color is a must have feature.

Size:
I believe the ipad is the largest out of all 3 of the options, and the kindle and nook are about the same size. While size is not an incredibly important factor, considering the ipad is still incredibly portable, I may want a smaller device for traveling purposes.

Options:
Okay, here is where the ipad really outshines the other two. The ipad is so far larger and more costly than the other two, but provides the most options for customization. The applications available (which include nook and kindle apps) as well as games, productivity tools, and my personal favorite- fitness applications, make this closer to a computer replacement than a simple ereader. The question is, do I need all of the extras? I plan on teaching, in some capacity, in september and the Ipad will be a great learning tool for my students. Looking at it from that perspective, I would be investing in my future students.

Should I wait until something "better" comes out? As technology professionals, we have a constant thought in our minds before purchasing new hardware... "When is the next big thing going to hit and my 500 dollar investment becomes a fancy paper weight?" It wouldn't be as devastating if I only spent 150 and something new came out the next month, but 500 dollars and up is a bigger commitment.

The more I write about this decision, the more I believe an ipad be an excellent addition to my "tech-team", which ironically enough, is comprised of mac products alone. (macbook pro, iphone, ipod)I still have some thinking to do before making a purchase this large, and will keep you all posted!

2 comments:

  1. Hm;; great blog. I am sure you are not the only person tossing between these two items. I am sure that you can do much more with an ipad than you could with a nook.

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  2. I love my nook. I read it everyday. While I would love an iPad the price difference just isn't worth it. Also, it's much easier on the eyes to read on the NOOK.

    I think there is a place for both in the classroom.

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