An empirical investigation into the use of digital photo frames as low cost e-book readers

• Authors: Hannah Thinyane;Jean-Paul Thorne
• Venue: Proceedings of the South African Institute for Computer Scientists and Information Technologists Conference
• Year: 2012

Tablet computers and e-book readers are growing in popularity, with proponents of the technology citing the device's size, ease of updating content, clarity of the screen (particularly with electronic ink), and ability to store and carry multiple books in a lightweight form. Within the context of education, these devices have begun to be prescribed by schools and universities to replace paper based textbooks. Although tablet computers and e-book readers offer significant advantages over paper-based textbooks, the current cost of the device makes them inaccessible for many users. Digital photo frames on the other hand provide similar functionality to e-book readers, for a fraction of the cost. This paper presents an empirical investigation into the use of digital photo frames as low cost ebook readers in three disadvantaged schools in South Africa. It investigates their use across primary school and high schools, highlighting teachers and learners' enthusiasm about the ability for all learners to be able to see class material without having to print it out. Questionnaires, observations, focus-groups and interviews were all used to solicit participants' perceptions and use of the technology. The data collected was thematically and categorically analysed. Most of the drawbacks emanated from hardware issues experienced by one class in a particular model of digital photo frame. This investigation concluded that digital photo frames could be successfully integrated into the classroom if teachers are provided with adequate training.