The Most Genuine jetBook K-12 Review We've Ever Found

Wow, we get a lot of reviews but there are always some that need to be mentioned. The one that blew us away was written by Ellen Christian (links to her posts will be below along with the post). It's one thing when people post to attract traffic to their site, it's another when people write a genuine review about a product that actually helps students - this is the latter, and we wanted to share this with all our readers. Enjoy!

Links:
Confessions Of An Over-Worked Mom
Seattle Examiner - They picked up the article :)
Blogcritics

Why do you need an educational eBook system?  With a son in high school and a daughter who just started college, I am well aware of all of the electronic gadgets and shelves of reference books that are needed for our children to be prepared for tests and projects as they get older. When my kids were younger, all I needed to worry about was their lunchbox and maybe a package of crayons or markers.  Now that they are older, parents need to provide a dictionary in both English and their language of choice, a variety of reference books,  a graphing calculator, and tons of books that will help them do research and prepare for projects and SATs. Both my kids have ADHD/ADD which means it can be difficult for them to focus on school work.   Both kids find it helpful to be “plugged in” while working on homework because it helps them concentrate.  It’s even written into my son’s 504 plan than he can use music and electronics to help him concentrate on tests and assignments in class.

Classrooms aren’t the same as they were when I was younger. Now, kids have to be online and it is required in many cases.   Having access to reference books and information is a necessity. The hours that our library is open are so limited that I often just can’t get there when I’m available. The ectaco jetBook K-12  educational eBook system is a specialized eBook reader that helps motivate kids to want to read and learn. Students find it much easier to use an electronic device than to flip through pages in a book or hunt through stacks of references in the library. Not only does the jetBook K-12 system hold their interest longer, it gives them access to a much larger selection of books than they might find available in their local library.

Simply said, the jetBook K-12 is a portable educational eBook system that contains everything your child will need including an SAT Preparation Course, Talking Oxford College Dictionary, English/Spanish Text Translator, SpeedReading Course, Phonetic Language Teacher, Graphic Calculator, Physics Reference Book, Periodict Table of Elements, and US History and Facts.  There is even s a My Library section that is used to hold ebooks. There is a microSD card included that has 1,000 classic books and open source books from the 50 states reading list.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll find in each section of the jetBook K-12:

My Library – Favorites, Summary, Notes, Bookmarks, Speech Recognition, Word Explanation

SAT Preparation Course – SAT Words, Grammar, Essay Hints, Root Dictionary, Sentence Completion, Problem Solving

Talking Oxford College Dictionary – Talking Oxford English ->Spanish Dictionary (56 more languages available), Idioms, Vocabulary Builder

English -> Spanish Text Translator – 12 more languages available, Irregular Verbs, Grammar Course, Translation Test, Linguistic Crossword

Speed Reading Course – Tachistoscope, Speed Reading Statistics, Practice Mode, Speed Reading Tests, Sudoku, Flash Cards

Phonetic Language Teacher – 45 More Languages Available, Speech Analysis & Correction, Phrases, Dialogs

Physics Reference Book – Organic, Inorganic & General Chemistry, Math Reference Book, World Economics & Geography

Periodic Table of Elements – Order Number, Atomic Weight, Oxidation States, Electron Configuration, Melting/Boiling Points, Covalent Radius

US History and Facts – Principles of American Democracy, American History, Government, Integrated Civics, Important Dates

The jetBook K-12 package includes the jetBook K-12, ectaco /c-pen, microSD card, carrying case, silicone pouch, pro headset with microphone, cradle and chargers. The eBook system itself is very simple to use. It contains a small trackball to use like a mouse to move the cursor up and down. It also has three buttons to move up and down and back and forth, select, record your voice, listen to the recording on the jetBook K-12 and play the audio books and music. There is even a mini USB port so you can charge the unit and a headset jack so you can use the earphones that are included.  Things that can be listened to have a speaker symbol next to them for easy reference. This feature is very helpful in pronunciation for unfamiliar vocabulary words. You can see the correct spelling of the word and then listen to the pronunciation in English or in a different language. The unit comes with Spanish but there are other languages available as well.

I am really amazed with all the information available on the jetBook K-12.  The math help section itself is unbelievable. It has definitions for Algebra, Calculus, Geometry and Trigonometry along with examples of what the definitions are. So if you happen to need to know what a quadratic equation is, you can see what it looks like! Maybe you’re more interested in accounting information? If that’s the case, there is an accounting and loan calculator included! There’s also a scientific calculator and a graphing calculator. There is a metric conversion function as well. The next time my son asks for math help, I am all set!   This educational eBook system will take him all the way through high school because it has information on physics, chemistry, earth science, biology, the periodic table, etc.

I’m really enjoying the World Economics and Geography section myself. I love learning about other countries. All I have to do is pick a country and it gives me a background of the country, geography (including location, coordinates, map reference, area, land boundaries, coastline, climate, resources, land use, water resources, elevation, natural hazards, current issues, international agreements), people (population, age structure, median age, population growth, birth & death rates, migration, etc.)  There are 17 pages of information on Afghanistan alone!  Your child could easily write a report on the country of their choice by using only the information I found in the jetBook K-12.

If English is more your thing, there is a phonetic language teacher, pictured dictionary, audio phrase book, 180 language dictionary, vocabulary builder, flash cards, crossword, spell it right, sudoku, and flash cards so you can quiz yourself on different words.  There are words in business, law, medical, and general categories. There’s even a translation test to quiz yourself on.  There is also a section with English grammar helps including irregular verbs, idioms, English  to Spanish grammar help, Spanish to English Grammar help. There are eBooks to read and audio books to listen to. There are tons of classics including some that my daughter is reading in college so this is going to save us money because I won’t need to run out and buy the hard copy books.

There is a PC communications area on the device that allows you to manage your files and folders stored on the microSD card. This lets you add books and music files. You connect the device to your PC using the enclosed USB cable and the mini-USB port and then you navigate to the appropriate folders to copy things from one place to another.

This unit is not only great for children, it’s a fantastic resource for teachers. There is a section that contains information on how to receive grants and funding for your school and a teacher’s resource section.  You can also access the 50 states reading lists that are open source. This selection includes things like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities, The Raven, The Odyssey, and tons of other classics that my kids will be reading in both high school and college.

The unit comes with an added C-Pen that means you can listen to words, phrases, and even entire sentences simply by swiping the pen. All the definitions in the Oxford dictionary can be read aloud. The added microSD card allows expansion up to 32 GB.  The jetBook K-12 can support over 9 different formats including Adobe DRM . You can get books almost anywhere online including Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books and at your local library. You can even create your own files, folders, or texts, and load them to the jetBook as well. Read Books in Adobe DRM 9.1, ePub, Mobi, PRC, PDB, RTF, TXT, HTML, PDF, FB2.  It has a 5″ TFT screen that is very easy on the eyes to use. The jetBook K-12 can operate fully charged up to 26 hours. It measures  4″ x 6″ x 0.6″ and weighs only 6.5 ounces. It can be purchased in yellow, white, or black.

If you’re looking for an educational eBook system, this is definitely the one you need to choose. I truly cannot think of anything that should be on here that isn’t and it’s all easy to use and easy to find. This is truly an investment in your child’s education.

Article first published as Educational eReader Review: ECTACO jetBook K-12 Educational eBook System on Blogcritics.

Disclosure: I received a product or products in order to write my review.  All opinions are mine and mine alone. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255 concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising.

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