Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: e-book reader, ipad, Kindle, Nook

This topic has 20 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 10 months ago by Doug Smith.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 21 total)

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July 22, 2011 at 1:55 am
joannarammell
Participant
ok…it took me forever to get a cell phone…and now we don’t even have a home phone…and when we got the cell phone got the bluetooth ear bob…and everyone thinks I’m talking to myself all the time. I kind of resist certain technologies for some reason.
I have tried an electronic palm as a kind of calendar…not really me.
I LIKE paper and as a mathematician I am terribly partial to pencils! I like the scratch of the pencil.
I love books. We have 13 (yes I did type thirteen) bookcases…7 on one wall and 6 across on the parallel wall…the walls span two rooms…and there is still a lot of stuff that doesn’t have homes.
all that said…all those free books are calling me. is it worth it? does it hurt your eyes? is it hard to hold? is it tedious to turn the page? if you drop it will it break automatically? etc. etc. etc. is it big enough for the children to see the pictures? is there a color version to see the color photos?
give me the low down please. the real deal.
would you repeat the purchase if you had it to do all over again?
I like the cm organizer…but money is an issue…and right now I am trying to use a bunch of different sources to create my own way of planning/journaling/record keeping, b/c of money, b/c sometimes someone else is on the computer (only 1), b/c sometimes I need to see ahead a bit…or something…so even that is going to be paper and pencil…yet I found a 25.95 book for .99. YEAH!
thoughts?
jo
July 22, 2011 at 2:23 am
Monica
Participant
I’m brand new here, but your post convinced me to sign up so that I could respond.
I LOVE my Kindle. It’s basic in that it is only black and white and most of the books I have on it aren’t illustrated, but it is by far my favorite Christmas gift.
I have, for example, over 50 classic books that I got for free from Amazon (Little Women, Robin Hood, Call of the Wild, etc.). I also was able to get all four parts of the Baltimore Catechism for free. For CM homeschoolers, I think an e-reader is indispensible. So many books we find on reading lists are out-of-print, and yet finding them for an e-reader can be as simple as going to http://www.gutenberg.org. In addition, although they aren’t generally as readable, I do love putting PDFs on my Kindle.
Honestly, I think it is such a great thing to have that we are considering getting some sort of e-reader for my oldest, who is almost 10YO. We are planning to order the 225 books for $100 from Yesterday’s Classics (http://www.yesterdaysclassics.com/o/al.php) and I would like him to have his own device to read from.
The Kindle itself is very light, easy to read from (definitely no eye strain, and you are able to adjust the size of the font) and portable. I will say that my two toddlers have gotten their hands on it on a few occasions and it is still working fine. 😉
Anyway, that’s my review. Hopefully others will chime in with their experiences.
(Oh, and did I mention I got Shakespeare’s Complete Works for FREE from Gutenberg. Really, in the long run I think an e-reader has a chance to save you money!)
July 22, 2011 at 2:26 am
suzukimom
Participant
I love the Kindle, especially for homeschooling! It is easy on the eyes – very much like reading a book. It is easier to hold than a book. (and mine even has a cover with a light in it that makes it heavier – and it is still easier to hold than most books.) Turning the page is just pressing a button that is right near where the hand is. The kids can see pictures – at least on the books we have used. And I can size it to a bigger font to make it easier for them to read too. (they like a font about 2 sizes bigger than my prefered font.)
No color version. Not for the Kindle. There are other ereaders that have color, but they are not as easy on the eyes as they use the same type of technology as a computer or smart phone.
Not only would I repeat the purchase, I would (if I could) buy one for each child over the age of about 6.)
You can also read pdf files on them (I find I have to turn it sideways often when doing pdf’s or the print is too small and if you zoom cursoring is a pain…) – I have read books like planning your CM education on it – and with our math program last year the lessons were a pdf file so I saved money by reading it off my Kindle instead of printing them or having to be at the computer.
If you get the 3G version, you can access the internet (a little limited, but pretty good – no videos, and if you click a link that would open another window it won’t let you go to it….) for FREE anywhere. I have used it to access my gmail or my google calendar, also the google map. It isn’t a great web browser, and is experimental so not guaranteed… but there are not data charges or anything with it.
Now all that said, there are some books I still prefer on paper. Planning CM education is one, and there have been others.
I currently have about 300 books on it. I haven’t paid for any of them at all. (I use a lot of free resources….) I haven’t even touched the surface of the free things out there.
Supposedly soon, the libraries will be able to loan out Kindle books…. maybe within a year. I’m making no guarantees on it… but am sure hoping for it. The library where I am already has an elibrary – it just doesn’t work with a kindle yet (does on the computer with the right program.) I am hoping it comes soon as that would open up more recent books to me for free.
anyway – as much as I love books – I LOVE my Kindle!
July 22, 2011 at 2:26 am
joannarammell
Participant
p.s. are there kindles that have color…for illustrations?
July 22, 2011 at 2:30 am
joannarammell
Participant
funny we posted at the same time and you answered the question! thanks to you both.
July 22, 2011 at 2:32 am
sheraz
Participant
Jo, this is how I feel too! =) I LOVE paper, pencils, and paper books. I have the same bookcase issues, but…
This post was from a few months ago, and contains a few more things to look at – the Heritage History site is amazing!!! I want a kindle now, and I never thought that I would. But my daughter’s 11 yr old friend has one and it seems such a cool way to put good books in their hands. And, face it, the kids like technology more than me. =)
http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/cool-resource-new-to-me#post-38772
After reading it, what do you think?

July 22, 2011 at 3:22 am
joannarammell
Participant
the video was helpful, sheraz!
what about the new color nook? anybody know?
jo
July 22, 2011 at 5:16 am
my3boys
Participant
I LOVE MY KINDLE. Would purchase it over and over again. And, would definitely have an extra one for the kids. Easy on the eyes, fun to read from, fun to get free or purchased books on…..fun, fun, fun.
I love it! And, I love paper books, pencils, pens, journals, bookcases, searching used bookstores and haven’t stopped acquiring “regular” books.
July 22, 2011 at 7:05 am
cedargirl
Participant
We have a KOBO and it isn’t back lit either so nice on the eyes. I love it for my “fluff” reading, free books, books I don’t mind paying a few dollars for and wouldn’t want to take up space in my house. Ther are books that are still a priority to have and hold a read and keep on the shelf. And then there are e-books that I say woohoo for. I LOVE to have the KOBO near when baby has nursed and fallen asleep. I don’t find that I notice the page turning button is a bother. Light and easy to keep in the diaper bag. Children think it is SO fun to read on becuase they are children and love neat things. I haven’t found it diminishes their appreciation of actual book either. DD9 has been lovingly enjoying her first Lamplighter book and has a small favorites library of her own books started. I am not sure if the new KOBO touch is colour or not. I have the 1st generation, no Wifi, which suites me fine. DH loves that he can get new releases cheap on it. My sister made a good point about authors probably getting paid more per book sale as they have no publishing overhead and shipping costs being absorbed KWIM? Like when mucisians get paid for downloads etc…
July 22, 2011 at 12:04 pm
gcbsmommy
Participant
This thread is great as I have been considering a kindle. Any thoughts about the virtues of the Kindle vs. the Nook?

Thanks!
Kristina
July 22, 2011 at 12:56 pm
RobinP
Participant
I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Just learned how to convert a file in publisher to a PDF so I could email it. My calendar is a little wornout Hallmark variety. I have a cell phone but don’t even program numbers into it. Although I am pretty fast at texting.
We have a Kindle. I’ve read one book on it but dh uses it all the time. It’s handy for me in certain situations like when ds had surgery a few months ago. I definitely see its value and am glad we have it. I have such a hard time, though, with my day to day reading. I operate a homeschool lending library with 15,000 living books, many out of print (50 7′ bookcases) and it just is not the same holding the Kindle as it is holding a wonderful old book. But that’s just me. I’m in the older crowd here, and am doing well with the technology I have to use, but I defintely enjoy my books.
July 22, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Tristan
Participant
I love my Kindle too and also have the set of books from Yesterday’s Classics – totally worth it. There are just so many free classics that can go on the Kindle, it is wonderful. Our current read aloud (The Marvelous Land of Oz) was free, and we’ve got a line of lots more to read as we go. We’ll be investing in another Kindle so my children can read books too, right now the 10 yo uses mine.
July 22, 2011 at 2:06 pm
ruth
Participant
-This thread is great as I have been considering a kindle. Any thoughts about the virtues of the Kindle vs. the Nook?-
I personally like the Kindle more than the Nook. I had problems with the touch screen and when the machine changed pages, the black screen inbetween pages was giving me a headache. It seemed to last longer than the kindle’s page change. But that is just me, and I don’t like to much technology. The kindle is a little less techniqual than the Nook.
You can go to Best Buy and they have all the e-readers out and on so you can play with them and see which one you like better.
July 22, 2011 at 2:49 pm
joannarammell
Participant
LOL Ruth
IF you have a Best Buy! We are in the BOONIES! Everything is researched online…and decisions made from reviews and personal testimony!
Let us pretend for a moment that we have a fairy godmother who would gift us with one of these appliances…which one would be the best one to ask for? the kindle? the i pad2? the kindle dx? (for some reason the nook is not appealing to me…what is the little caveat about 750mg of their gig being reserved for things purchased only from them? and all the free stuff from Barnes and Noble in store…we don’t have a store!)
does anyone miss COLOR?
jo
July 22, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Rebekahy
Participant
I like the Kindle too. Benefits over IPAD for us are – SUPER easy to read and easy on the eyes – we don’t miss color at all, but then again, the books we are reading probably don’t have color illustrations anyway. Also, because it’s not AS pricey as the IPAD – I don’t mind letting my 5 and 7 yo use it. I’m not sure I would be as generous with an IPAD. We don’t have an IPAD, so I can’t speak from experience, but those are my perceived benefits – it’s also smaller than an ipad, I like taking it to church – there’s a free ESV download which makes it the smallest, yet still readable Bible I have.
Hope that helps!