-- The new Amazon Kindle DX, has a 9.7 inch screen, and weighs just over one pound.-- Amazon is working with several textbook publishers to have their books converted for use on the Kindle.
-- The average 11th grade student in California carries some 20 pounds of textbooks in his or her backpack. (For 1st graders, it's 8 pounds!). Backpack weight exceeds the "recommended maximum at nearly all grade levels from 1-12, presenting a health hazard for students." -- Excessive backpack weight can prevent students from being able to walk or bike to school, setting a pattern for future auto-dependency.
Could this mean that the Amazon Kindle (and other similar devices) will promote walking, and walkable communities, by eliminating one significant reason why so many K-12 students are currently driven to school?
"Yes," says Fred Lane, who has written extensively on computers and technology (among other issues). Lane has some additional "expertise" as he's Chair of the Burlington, Vermont, School Board and father of a 10th grader who, Lane told me, "typically lugs around 20 pounds of textbooks." As Lane notes, that makes his son much more dependent on getting a ride to school than walking or biking, and also, "puts a big strain on his back."
While enabling students to walk more may not have been one of the primary motivations for Amazon, it's a fascinating potential "fringe benefit."
Lane feels that competition will likely drive prices of devices like the Kindle down. "Within five years most college students will be getting their textbooks on electronic readers ... because the cost savings will be so huge." In terms of K-12 use, Lane also see electronic devices replacing textbooks, though over a somewhat longer time frame.
One major advantage Lane points to is the ease of quickly updating material electronically, without needing to print out new editions of the textbook. Given the value in students to having up-to-date material in their textbooks, this is a important benefit.
[note: student photo from Flickr, reposted under Creative Commons License]
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Some additional details. First, from a posting, Amazon Kindle: Lightweight, Digital…Textbooks? (May 13, 2009) on The Bottom Line web site:
"In 2005, a Government Accountability Office report estimated that textbooks cost the average university student about $900 per year. These textbooks are often bulky and quite heavy; a literal burden on students' backs. Amazon.com has released a new version of Kindle, an electronic paper display which seeks to replace the traditional textbook for students.
Three textbook publishers that collectively publish 60% of the country's textbooks recently agreed to publish Kindle versions of their books. At least six universities will be running Kindle pilot programs ... Kindle DX weighs just over one pound, and is about a third of an inch thick; compared to even one textbook the weight and space savings are enormous, let alone several classes worth."
Here's a Table from the California backpack study I mentioned earlier,Textbook Weight in California: Analysis and Recommendations (April 14, 2004; link is to pdf file).
Interestingly, heavy backpacks cause injuries for a variety of reasons:
"The study found that the most common means of injury were tripping over the backpack (28%), followed by wearing 13%), and getting hit by the backpack (13%). ... it is clear that the actual weight of backpacks, given the presence of other materials carried by an average student, far exceeds the recommendations of health professionals. ... ... One issue is the general trend of removing lockers where students can store books in between classes. Lockers have been removed in many schools due to the proliferation of both weapons and drugs in schools."
What's the Kindle DX look like, and how does it work? Here's a 5 minute video overview:
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