Thursday, June 11, 2009

IN THE CLASSROOM THIS WEEK

Summer break is in full swing for most schools now and the kids’ brains are rotting as we speak. I’m sure Hulu is no help. I read an article this week about Amazon’s Kindle and I wondered how long it would take for comics to be available in a full-color, glare-free portable electronic device?

Rumor has it that Apple will unleash a large format version (7x9) of its popular iPod Touch that will rival the Kindle. Apple! Color! Large format! Subscribing to comics and graphic novels through iTunes, automatically downloaded to one’s big-boy iPod would be the cat’s meow.

Now, how could we use such technology in the 21st century classroom? Oh, my brain is just swirling with ideas: Textbooks, classroom copies of literature, poetry, comic literature, picture books, and traditional books all housed inside each student’s electronic device (backed up by iTunes or the schools server).

Portable comics on the go? Would kids be more likely to read? Less likely to read? How would auditory learners or students with disabilities be assisted? The new Kindle already has the capabilities to read your books to you. It is designed for people to listen to books while walking down the sidewalk in NY, but why not apply that technology to students?

Here are the comics that came into the Classroom this week:

  1. Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! #5
  2. G.I. Joe: Origins #4
  3. Hooray for Inventors
  4. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #2 (of 4)
  5. Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #12
  6. Storming Paradise #6 (of 6)
  7. Super Friends #16

1 comment:

Mrs. McGrew said...

There is an online version of Flash Gordon that is free for the Amazon Kindle's iPhone app. It's pretty cool. I can see using it in the classroom with the kids.