E-Books and Deep Reading: Strategies & Tactics, Advantages & Pitfalls 

Presenter: Mark Jensen

Co-Presenter: Lauren Scharff

Organization: United States Air Force Academy

Role: Associate Professor

Track: Demonstration

Topic: Digital Texts

Level: For Mere Mortals

Abstract: Mark Jensen will demonstrate his approach to teaching annotation and deep reading strategies using e-books and the Kindle App for the PC. First Mark Jensen will take participants through a mock lesson. Next, he will share data collected from his classes and control classes that used traditional papers texts. Finally, Mark Jensen and Lauren Scharff will entertain questions, comments and extended discussion of the advantages and pitfalls discovered in transitioning courses to the e-books environment.

Bio: Mark Jensen is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the US Air Force Academy. Together with Lauren Scharff (USAFA SoTL Program Director), he has conducted two studies on the use of technology in his ethics class. The first focused on a paperless classroom. The second (concluded in May 2014) focused more specifically using the Kindle app annotation tools to develop deep reading skills. Mark Jensen presented the results of his earlier study at a conference for philosophy teachers and has demonstrated his approach to audiences at USAFA.

Description: We envision a 50-minute session. It will consist of a 5-minute introduction, a 15-minute mock lesson, a 10-minute presentation of the data and lessons learned from our studies and experiences, followed by 20 minutes of questions, comments, and discussion. The heart of our demonstration is the mock lesson. We require a room with a large screen and a projector capable of connecting to a laptop (we will supply the laptop) as well as an internet connection. Participants interested in following along on their own devices should load the relevant Kindle App as well as the Kindle Edition of John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism (free from Amazon) beforehand. (Any e-book will do, but Dr. Jensen’s lesson will be based on a passage from this text.)

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