Published May 11, 2012
AQEELSMOM
121 Posts
just looking to get some insight about other peoples classroom strategies regarding textbooks... i'm considering investing in an ipad and getting digital versions of all my texts. last time i was in school it was such a pain to carry all these books around, only to reference a couple pages during the whole class.
the only concern i have is that in the past i wrote shorthand notes and highlighted my textbook... and when i studied i did so right from the textbook. ive never used a tablet before, perhaps there is some functionality that allows you to highlight digitally?
im more of a shorthand writer and like to rewrite my notes when i get home, i tried taking a laptop to class a few times, but found the whole experience too cumbersome.
so does anyone use an ipad for their texts? how did you find it compared to physical texts? any issues finding digital versions? do the teachers care? any and all input appreciated!
truckinusa, BSN, LPN, RN
365 Posts
I've had my best luck finding texts for prerequisites on coursesmart Redirect and medicals texts on Elsevier's websites: Pageburst? from Elsevier and Welcome to Evolve!
I do not really like digital books if I'm going to really read them. I enjoy reading some of my texts all the way through just for my pleasure. If the book is a reference book it seems that ebooks are wonderful because you can just search for text. It seems to save time when a teacher just wants you to memorize terms or definitions. It saved me a ton of time in Sociology. Just my thoughts. I buy the normal book whenever I can and the ebook if it is significantly cheaper which sometimes it is. I have found some for free(shhh!!!).
IndyElmer
282 Posts
I can't find the post in my nursing FB group, but I know that there are apps that will let you annotate & highlight your textbooks. There's a guy in the cohort ahead of me who was raving about the app & digital textbooks, but I can't remember the name of the guy or the app. If no one else responds and you can't find them on your own, post back and I'll see if someone can help me figure out who that was so I can get an app name for you.
KMtoRN
28 Posts
I purchased an iPad to use for digital textbooks this past November. I was able to use it for this semester and I really liked it. Not all of my books were available in digital format, however.
I used kno.com to purchase and view my books and it has some really cool features. It does allow you to highlight and write notes on the book, which unlike a real book, you can go back and erase at anytime. It also had a feature that would quiz you on the tables and charts in the book. I really liked it and carrying the iPad is so much easier than a ton of books! You can also access your books from their website if you don't have your iPad with you.
I hope to be able to use it for most or all of my books when I start nursing school in the fall but not all books are available as an e-book yet.