CVAG – The Kindle Test Drive
Q: What do you have to do to test drive the Kindle?
A: Take the Kindle Pledge and Win the Lottery.
The Chippewa Valley Aphasia Group (CVAG) wanted to determine if the Kindle2 would help with reading and ease of access to written material. However, the cost of the Kindle2 was a barrier to learning about the device. The CVAG decided to pool their money to buy a Kindle2 so that group members could test drive this new technology. The fund raising activity was exciting and surprising. Funds were raised for the Kindle, books and audio book purchases. Selection of the “test drivers” was made using a Lottery after the basic ground rules for Kindle use were presented. The Lottery was drawn every 3 weeks. The Kindle Pledge was a lighthearted reminder to use the device carefully and to work with the Kindle Coaches. CVAG staff served as Kindle Coaches.
CVAG staff and group members have the privilege of knowing one another for months; if not years. The relationship, fostered by group involvement, made learning about this technology a comfortable activity. Each successive Lottery winning “test driver” received the Kindle for two weeks. The Kindle Coaches met with the test driver twice per week. During the initial visit, the coaches helped the test driver build a basic action plan and provided Kindle navigation information. Technical operation of the Kindle was not emphasized. Rather, the coaches and the “test driver” worked together to find the best match between their reading interest and the Kindle’s capacity to help enjoy those interests. The Kindle Coaches left a homework assignment each time they visited.
The Kindle Coaches were not experts in the operation of the Kindle. They followed a basic navigation guide listed below:
Skill Level I. Navigation – USE of the Kindle !!!
On
OFF
Page forward
Page back
Loudness
Text to speech – PAUSING.
Skill Level II. Choice – Making personal choices
Home and Menu
Modifying Text Size
Turning Text to Speech On – Off
Browsing the Kindle Store. Learning about Categories
Ordering / Purchasing a book or magazine
Selecting between News, Magazines, books
Skill Level III. Exploring – What are some possibilities ?
Web
Email
Narrative Assignments. Selected/ individualized stories from a distance.
Although this guide is written sequentially, the coaches encouraged the “test driver” to operate the device immediately. Coaches provided suggestions and answered questions as the “test driver” explored the device. During each visit reading was emphasized. Each test driver experienced reading with the Kindle using screen-text and text-to-speech. Coaches and test drivers worked in partnership to define the best way to use the Kindle. Coaches tailored their instruction and homework assignments accordingly. Following discussions of preferred reading material, each test driver made a visit to the Amazon store and purchased their own book or periodical.
The Kindle allowed users to hear audio books or to read along with text to speech. The Kindle coaches created personalized stories and sent them to the Kindle via the internet. Four individuals have thus far taken the test drive. Evaluation of the Kindle by these users and their coaches will be included in a future article.
During the two week test drive, the person with aphasia, family members and Coaches shared in conversation, made new discoveries and solved unique problems together. The activity of the test drive itself was enjoyable and relationships were deepened. The story that follows provides some more detail about one person’s test drive with the Kindle.
Thomas L. Hintgen MA CCC/SLP
Gretchen Anderson BA
