Using the Amazon Kindle for Research and Recall, not Just Reading (Revised with Images and Links)
I've always been an avid reader, and since July, and avid "e-reader" as well. (In July I purchased a used Amazon Kindle
The problem with this process is the inordinate amount of extra time it takes to re-type or re-write those passages into some kind of electronic format. This has always been a second step -- after reading a chapter or two -- which takes longer than the first step of reading and highlighting the text in the book. So, as valuable as these documents have been for me, I found that I rarely invest the extra time to complete step two. (I suppose I could ask an assistant to do this for me, but that's not a luxury I've had until recently.)
Enter the Amazon Kindle -- not just the device, but the platform. When I say Kindle, I don't just mean the e-reader itself, but the various Kindle apps for Windows, Mac, IPhone, IPad, and Android (and hopefully soon, HP/Palm's WebOS). One of the huge benefits of the Kindle platform is that it eliminates step two -- the highlights and annotations I make on the Kindle can be quickly converted into a set of customized notes on any book.
On the Kindle itself, I can highlight using the pointing device and annotate using the built-in keyboard. Using the Windows app, I have access to my mouse and full-sized keyboard. Kindle apps on other platforms have similar functionality. And my highlights and annotations are wirelessly synchronized across my devices -- regardless of where I entered the highlights and annotations.
But I've recently discovered a "hidden" Kindle feature -- all of my notes and highlights are automatically uploaded to a personalized website at kindle.amazon.com. (You login to this website using your regular Amazon username and password.) The slogan on the site is "Read, Review, Remember" -- and that's exactly what it allows you to do.
Here's a quick view of my highlights from Rick Rusaw's book The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church for the Community
Switching to the all highlights view allows me to see highlights from other Kindle users -- a social view of what's important. I could see this being incredibly useful to students who are doing group study, or who simply want to see what others have marked as important as they review for a test.
Finally -- and this is a killer feature -- there's a "review" feature that will set up review on a time interval that you specify. Your highlights and annotations will be presented to you in a "Flashcard View" on a schedule you determine.
