Ebook

[whartonmd]

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Does anyone here have any experience using ebook textbooks for classes such as biology, chemistry, organic chemistry and physics?

 

[Renaissance Man]

Does anyone here have any experience using ebook textbooks for classes such as biology, chemistry, organic chemistry and physics?

I did it for a biology class and hated it. Although I was reading on my laptop and not a tablet.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Yeah, I liked it for chemistry since if I ever needed anything I just used Ctrl+F to find something, but I also never read the book...

 

[yellowbird12]

I don't like reading from tablets ....nevertheless

I was reading this thread
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=869551

so now I am considering maybe getting a tablet or ipad....but honestly I'd still rather read from textbooks.

I don't like reading from online or computers nevertheless the advantage is not carrying around heavy books.

 

[Narmerguy]

It's got its pros and cons. I had it for chem. I liked that I could read it anywhere with just my laptop, but reading from a computer screen really gets irritating after a while. Also, it just looks better, visually, on a page.

 

[Ravizzle]

Used a tablet w/keyboard dock my last 2 years of undergrad. Was awesome bc I would always lose my paper notes, spend lots of time trying to find the right page etc.. downsides are paper is easier to write on, paper is cheaper, eye strain.

Sent from my Galaxy S2 via tapatalk

 

[Person0715]

If I can find a download of a textbook, I use that and read it on my iPad. Doing so has saved me hundreds of dollars in textbook costs over the years.

 

[487806]

If I can find a download of a textbook, I use that and read it on my iPad. Doing so has saved me hundreds of dollars in textbook costs over the years.

Tapatalk is responsible for the necrobump.

My interests are a tablet and/or actual textbook.

 

[frosted_flake]

I like it for the ctrl+F function, but my eyes get strained so bad between reading the text, typing up my notes, doing research, etc. 🙁
I feel like it is either sacrifice your back and carry around books or sacrifice your eyes and use your laptop/tablet.

 

[mehc012]

Does anyone here have any experience using ebook textbooks for classes such as biology, chemistry, organic chemistry and physics?

I loved it. Every textbook I buy, I also search for the .pdf online. Table of contents are usually hyperlinked in those, which is nice...you can bookmark and flip back and forth instantly, it's easier to make flashcards (I study primarily through Anki) because you can copy text and pictures right out, and you can carry 10 textbooks in your computer or tablet (far better reading on the tablet)
It is terrible if you try to use the legal versions, so don't bother...those are glitchy, slow, and tied to the web. Just find the .pdf online and get the book hardcopy if you want to not feel bad about it.

As a disclaimer, I have never once experienced the 'eye strain' everyone talks about with computers and tablets. It just doesn't bother my eyes in the slightest. So if it does with yours, ymmv

 

[NickNaylor]

I hate using ebooks. I much prefer actual books where I can flip through the pages. My eyes get tired after looking at a screen for so long. Probably the best inbetween is what mehc012 recommended above, to buy the textbook and use the PDF so you have the best of both worlds.

Ugh, I hate reading books on electronic media, though I seem to be the minority in this regard. If you have an iPad mini or equivalent Android device it's pretty nice - you can have all of your textbooks with you in a small form factor - but I definitely prefer hard copies that I can easily annotate and highlight. Not that you can't do that on e-books or PDFs, but for whatever reason I just don't enjoy it as much.

 

[mehc012]

Ugh, I hate reading books on electronic media, though I seem to be the minority in this regard. If you have an iPad mini or equivalent Android device it's pretty nice - you can have all of your textbooks with you in a small form factor - but I definitely prefer hard copies that I can easily annotate and highlight. Not that you can't do that on e-books or PDFs, but for whatever reason I just don't enjoy it as much.

I commute 12+ hrs/week and my classes are a pretty reasonable commute themselves. I like having all of my textbooks with me all the time so that I can study whatever I'm in the mood for (I'm more likely to actually do it that way). I also like curling up in bed just before going to sleep and reading just like it's a normal book...which the paper version is too bulky for. Plus, if I'm commuting on the motorcycle, I want my bag non-heavy.
Things I don't like: problem sets are more annoying from the electronic form, no idea why.

 

[darkjedi]

I can't say I'm a huge fan of reading textbooks in ebook format. One of the best things about physical books is that you can flip through them really quickly to find things you need. Ctrl+F is not nearly as precise or quick as remembering where something was in the book.

 

[mehc012]

I can't say I'm a huge fan of reading textbooks in ebook format. One of the best things about physical books is that you can flip through them really quickly to find things you need. Ctrl+F is not nearly as precise or quick as remembering where something was in the book.

True, but if you go with a good .pdf instead of the crappy versions they try to sell, it'll have a table of contents (hyperlinks to each chapter or you can expand the chapter and get a hyperlink to each section heading), you can enter a page number, or you can bookmark as many as you like. That was invaluable in my anatomy class...the prof gave us a systems-organized book and said "we'll be learning regionally, and I won't give you any page numbers to guide you through the book...I think getting frustrated and finding it yourself helps you learn"