David Grams, a teacher at a junior school in Michigan, USA was selected for participation in a programme called 'Learning Without Limits'. Through this iniative, students were provided with handheld computer devices or PDAs with wireless capabilities to see the impact of its use on the students' motivation to read. Grams discussed with students what e-books they were interested in reading and had them downloaded to the students' handhelds. What Grams experienced during the course of this research was phenomenal. There was a never before seen fervour with which students were reading both inside and outside school.
The students appeared to be completing the books faster than before and were even reading during their 'choice time' and periods in between classes. Grams commented on how pleased he was when he saw how engaged the students were in reading their e-books through their handheld. Previously, Grams was unable to get them to be quiet during library time; now they were all totally engaged in their books. Grams felt that he was witnessing a transition or transformation regarding how students would become motivated to read. He believed that "Today's students are the first generation fully comfortable with technology as a way of life." (Rosalia, 2002) Grams, 2003)
Grams also found that students were much more willing to read their e-books once they felt the material was relevant and meaningful to their lives. Increasingly reseachers and educators are finding e-Books are a great tool to be used both by the struggling reader as well as the strong simce they come with features such as voice over and a dictionary which makes it fun as well as non-threatening to them. The only drawback or barrier to the widespread use of e-books through portable e-books readers is the cost.
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