School Days, Kindle Books and the Library — End of the Day for March 1, 2014

Whenever you have a child in school, you tend to go back to school, too. Such was the case today when I ended up checking out “Life of Pi” from the Los Angeles Public Library today as a Kindle book. Joseph is reading the book in his English class and needs a bit of help studying for tests and such. I had been wanting to read it anyway, so it seemed an appropriate time. Now I can quiz him about the book whenever he needs it. You can check out quite a variety of ebooks from the library and read them on your mobile device (iPhone/iPad/Android device) or on your computer. I still check out physical books on occasion, but the ebooks are becoming more and more convenient since you don’t have to find time to pick them up or worry about them being overdue.

As I started reading tonight I was reminded of a great feature of ebooks and one that especially applies to books you are studying for a class. Kindle books allow you highlight sections for later reference. More importantly, Kindle books also highlight those sections of a book have been highlighted by large numbers of other readers of the book. For a student like Joseph this can be very useful, as it points out sections of the book that attracted a lot of attention and are worth of more study. I think this is a great way of crowdsourcing knowledge and lends an added dimension when reading a book. It is like reading someone else’s extensively annotated book. You don’t just get the content of the book, but also the thoughts of those who have read it before you.

Example of Kindle Popular Highlights on the iPhone Kindle app

I am also finding a lot of great study resources on the web with just a few quick searches. I am thinking that study guides and sample tests from someone other than Joe’s teacher can be quite useful. Sure they might have different focuses on what they are studying, but these guides can open doors to new areas of thought and allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the material. They also allow me to help Joe study subjects where I lack a deep knowledge. (It’s cool that I learn a lot along the way, too!)

Now it’s time to get back to some reading. On a wet and chilly night like this, I think that means curling up in my pajamas, in bed, with my Kindle or iPhone. A warm place and a good read always help me fall asleep.

Night all!

Previously on End of the Day:

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