Reading Books on-screen)-Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone and iPod Touch

Yesterday I was attending the Virtual Edge Summit 2010 as a virtual participant using the Virtual Beginnings VirtualU 3D software.  Byron Reeves, one of the keynote speakers, mentioned a book he had co-authored--Total Engagement.

In the summer of 2008, I took five graduate courses from the University of Phoenix Online to qualify for some Illinois state approvals for my teaching certificate.  While working on those graduate courses, I became comfortable reading books on-screen.  All of the articles and textbooks used in these courses were available from the University of Phoenix library or other sources as downloads.  I worked with Adobe Acrobat Pro to highlight and to make annotations to all of the on-screen reading material.

Of course I went to Amazon.com to look for the book and found that it was available in a Kindle edition--for a better price than the hard cover edition.  I remembered my experiences with the reading for the University of Phoenix and looked to see if Kindle was available for the PC.  Amazon has a Kindle App for the PC and, via Apple's iTunes App Store, a Kindle App for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  (Amazon is building a Kindle App for the Mac.)  These Apps are free.  Once the Apps and the machines are registered with Amazon.com, customers can purchase the Kindle editions.  Even better, once the Kindle edition has been purchased, it can be read on both the iPhone/iPod Touch and the PC.  Amazon has built-in some annotation software so that I can make the same kinds of annotations I did using Adobe Acrobat Pro.

I downloaded and registered the Apps and purchased and downloaded the Kindle version of Total Engagement.  I started reading it on my iPod Touch last night.

The Apple iPad is coming and I did some research last year on eBook readers--Kindle, Sony, and BeBook,  a European competitor.  I was horrified to hear about the price of a data package for the iPad being marketed by AT&T.  I enjoy my iPod Touch and could see the iPad as an easier-to-read extension of the iPod Touch.  I don't pay AT&T anything directly for the iPod Touch--it's covered in my AT&T bundle of services for my home computer and mobile devices.

I am delighted to be able to read Kindle books on both my iPod Touch and PC.  I am already working with eAudiobooks from Audible.com (an Amazon company) and from the public library (using NetLibrary).  It's nice to add a new resource for the information I am looking for.

What would I want to share in a Virtual World Conference?

Yesterday I was invited to think about what I would like to share (and with whom) in a Virtual World Conference.  In thinking about one of the three-day conferences I designed for Accenture (Andersen Consulting) I was thinking about what elements of that could work well in a Virtual World.  I was also thinking about how a Virtual World would have added to my experience of online learning from the University of Phoenix.

I also began thinking about who would be the audience for such a conference or "mini-event."  I immediately thought of my LinkedIn connections--both my personal network and some of the discussion groups I belong to on LinkedIn.  I joined the American Library Association this year and they, too, are interested in the concept of Virtual Worlds for distance learning.

Some of what I want to do for such an event will be to include some of the elements which highlight the advantages of the Virtual Worlds platform--some small-group work, access to individualized video clips, networking between participants, shared PowerPoint and question and chat features including Voice Over IP.

As always, I will follow a design for learning and need to start with a better understanding of my audience and my goals.  Then I will follow a process of learning design that will be adjusted for the vehicle of Virtual Worlds.

This is going to be a somewhat reflective piece in that I want participants to think about their experience as participants in a virtual worlds conference so that reflection needs to be built into the activities and presentations they will be experiencing as part of the design.  One of my areas for goal outcomes will be that participants will recognize the value Virtual World Conferences can have for their own learning and for their organizations. 

Now to think about more details.