eBooks

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=e-BOOK = An e-book is an electronic version of a printed book that is usually read on a hand-held device (called an e-book reader) which as been designed specifically for this purpose. It is also possible to read an e-book on a computer or smartphone, however this is not generally the preferred way because of issues with the size of the screen (in the case of phones) or difficulties with back-lit screens and readability.
 * What is it? **

**Point me to something** Amazon is a place where you can get an idea of the type of books available in e-book format, and approximate costs. //(Please note that these are for use on Amazon's own e-book reader (Kindle..see photo below)...and is not a recommendation, simply an example).// There are also many free e-books available via Project Gutenburg (out of copyright publications).

**What is happening in education?**
 * The use of e-books in education is still in the trial stage, and although there are a growing number of examples of schools and other educational institutions using standard texts for subjects such as English and History, the activity in Vocational Education is still growing.
 * In 2010 there was a trial in a TAFE SA Hairdressing program - report here.
 * The Horizon Report predicts that e-books will become mainstream in education in the next 2-3 years.

**Examples** It isn't possible to provide examples of e-books (apart from those already provided above), however many articles exist which provide useful information: > **Show me how...** Below is a video which describes different e-book readers and is supplied here simply to show the different types of readers that are available, and how they work.
 * The ABCs of E-Reading - article about the reading habits of e-reader owners
 * e-books and e-readers: devices and formats - de-mystifying some of the e-reader characteristics
 * New Thriller Sells More E-Books Than Hardcovers - article about how e-books are growing
 * Books in the age of the iPad - a more philosophical opinion piece about where books are heading
 * Presentation on e-Books a podcast by Marina Borello, Hair & Beauty

For something practical, it is possible to create your own e-book with eReadUps “//…an eReadUp is an ebook full of articles about something you want to read up on….The eReadUps engine takes articles you select from a list and collects them all together into an eReadUp that you can read on your ereader device.//“

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** Acknowledgement ** 'Amazon Kindle'' photo:: CC licensed Flickr photo by Drathus

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