Conference of the International Journal of Arts & Sciences, CD-ROM. ISSN: 1943-6114 :: 5(3):231233 (2012) Copyright c 2012 by UniversityPublications.

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E-BOOK READERS USE BY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Oleg Yavoruk Yugra State University

Teachers and students are frequent users of e-books. There are devices designed especially for reading e-books now (e-readers, book-readers, e-book readers). The paper deals with features and advantages of devices for reading e-books in their educational application. Principles of their use are analyzed from technical and pedagogical points of view. Keywords: E-books, Electronic book readers, Didactics, Physics education.

Introduction We use different books: textbooks, workbooks, reference books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, popular science books, journals, etc. Electronic books are a product of science of XX-XXI centuries. E-books are often referred to as electronic texts and as specialized devices for reading texts. The electronic texts widely represented on the Internet in various electronic formats. There are devices specifically designed for reading electronic books: e-readers, bookreaders, e-book readers. They have a good screen and management designed for comfortable reading. A lot of devices have achieved perfection and they can already be used in the learning process. I. What are e-readers? An e-book reader, also called an e-book device or e-reader, is a mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital e-books. The main advantages of e-book readers are better readability of their screens especially in bright sunlight and longer battery life. This is achieved by using electronic paper technology to display content to readers. Electronic paper, e-paper, electronic ink are a range of display technology [1]. Electronic paper displays reflected light like ordinary paper. Any device that can display text on a screen can act as an e-book reader, but without the advantages of the e-paper technology. Specialized devices have the advantage of doing one thing well. Specifically, they tend to have the right screen size, battery lifespan, lighting and weight. A disadvantage of such devices is that they are often expensive when compared to multi-purpose devices.

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II. Physics I see three areas of electronic readers in the process of learning physics. Area 1. The study of the physical principles of the instrument. Branches of physics, where we can use examples of devices: mechanics (e-readers are mechanical devices); electrodynamics (electrostatics, electrical conductivity, electrization, etc.); thermodynamics of e-readers; quantum theory. Area 2. The study of physics with the use of electronic readers. I mean: training texts; textbooks; pictures (tools, scientists, models); audio lessons; etc. Area 3. The study of devices hardware and software. I mean: a set of programs, procedures, algorithms and its documentation; equipments. III. Didactics Didactics (didactics of physics) generally should be conceived of as the science of the TSL process (TSL is Teaching-Studying-Learning) [2]. The physics didactics is a branch of pedagogy that studies the following problems [3]: 1. Why do we teach physics? Why do we need to teach physics? Why should students study physics? Purpose of studying physics. 2. What we teach? What we should teach? What should students learn? The content of physics education. 3. How do we teach physics? How students should study physics? Methods, forms, tools. Electronic readers can be used in answering each question. IV. Didactics of electronic readers Didactics of electronic readers is based on didactics of printed books. It studies the following problems. 1. Why do we use e-books and e-readers? Why do we need to use e-books and e-readers? What are our purposes? 2. What are the kinds of academic e-books? (Encyclopedias, dictionaries, reference e-books, atlases, textbooks, problem books, popular e-books, interactive e-books, etc.) What are the components of an academic e-book? (Cover; title; abstract; table of contents; introduction; chapters and sections; conclusion; index; references; assignments; figures; etc.). General strategies of academic reading (the author of this book (text); its title; why do you read the text; the purpose of our reading; the main thesis of the text; the author's arguments; etc.).

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General reading techniques (pre-reading the text; marking the text while you read it; dividing the text into parts; finding answers to questions in the text; using indexes; using a list of references; etc.). 3. How do we use e-books and e-readers? How students should study physics with e-readers? What are methods, forms, tools of the e-book readers use by teachers and students? How should be constructed the e-reader for the use in the TSL-process. V. My students I am currently working with the students who already have their own electronic readers. I do not have electronic readers for every student of mine. The main direction of my investigation is selfstudy of students with the e-reader use. They use different kinds of readers: Amazon Kindle; Sony reader; Pocket Book; L-book; etc. VI. Copyright Copyright issues decided by students themselves. For example they use library books. Often they find a book on the Internet. There are electronic libraries. University library has electronic versions of books that teachers provide. They can buy e-books in the Internet shops. VII. Disadvantage of electronic readers 1. E-readers are often expensive when compared to multi-purpose devices such as notebooks. 2. E-readers are fragile, easily broken when compared to paper (printed) books. 3. There are still unresolved issues related to copyright. VIII. Future Electronic media are developing very rapidly. We are witnessing the emergence of new models of e-book readers. Their use will be the classroom routine soon. References
1. 2. 3. E-Ink: Technology: Display Products: E-Ink Pearl Imaging Film (Monochrome Active Matrix) (http://www.eink.com/display_products_pearl.html). Uljens M. School didactics and learning. - Hove, East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press Ltd, 1997. 280 p. Usova A.V. Formirovanie u shkolnikov nauchnyh ponyatiy v processe obucheniya, - M.: Izd. Un-ta RAO, 2007. 310 p.