Textbooks can be expensive, bulky and heavy, but some technological devices allow students to carry an entire library in the palms of their hands. Electronic readers, or e-readers, are like small and flat computers capable of holding vast amounts of information, particularly electronic versions of books. Devices like the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad work with book publishers like Harper Collins and McGraw-Hill to make textbooks and other reading materials available in electronic formats, meaning that they can be downloaded to and read on electronic reading devices.
While computers used to be bulky machines relegated to desks, offices and labs, laptops allow students to take their computers into the classroom. Because many schools offer wireless Internet access, their students can log on to the Internet during class, allowing them to download lessons in real time. Even without the Internet, laptops make it easier for some students to take notes in class -- electronic notes can then be sent to peers who did not attend class.
Interactive whiteboards are like traditional whiteboards augmented with technology. Like a blackboard-sized computer screen at the front of the classroom, interactive whiteboards can be used to display computer images like slide show presentations and videos and to make real-time notes that the class can see. Combining the advantages of a traditional blackboard with a computer's technology enables teachers to increase the interactivity of their lessons and to save them for future classes.
MP3 players might be used most often for listening to music, but they also have found a place in the classroom. Audio books are available for download from online retailers, meaning that students can download their reading materials and listen to them while working out, eating and commuting to and from class. They can also be used for language classes so that students can listen to and practice their verbal communication outside of the classroom.