widespread adoption of e-texts. (see my blog post: http://goo.gl/gRpS.
Personally, I don't think that single purpose devices such as Kindles,
Nooks, or Sony e-Readers will be the optimal solution for schools. I believe
that a multi-purpose device such as the iPad is the more likely "winner."
That said, a color e-reader (I think color is a must for charts & diagrams),
for <$100, coupled with interactive e-texts (rather than simple PDF versions
of texts), would be compelling when coupled with a laptop program. If the
reader and laptop could communicate with one another, then a two device
solution might work just fine.
Independent schools could use their collective purchasing power to pressure
textbook companies into releasing e-texts.
As for price, my understanding is that the vast majority of the cost of
publishing is not in the cost of materials of a traditional book. The high
cost of texts are a function of publishers charging what the market will
bear. For this reason, I hold out hope for open content and open-textbook
initiatives such as CK12 to serve as a high-quality counterbalance to
traditional publishers.
Planning for this future begins with pilot projects, perhaps using iPads and
free and inexpensive textbooks. Lots of classic literature available for
free in addition to a growing number of texts for other subjects.
s
-----
Steve Taffee | Director of Strategic Projects
Castilleja School | staffee@castilleja.org
1310 Bryant Street | www.castilleja.org
Palo Alto, CA 94301 | taffee.edublogs.org
650.924.1040 (Google Voice)
Women Learning, Women Leading
<http://twitter.com/sjtaffee> <http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetaffee>
On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 4:39 PM, Thomas Flanagan <TFlanagan@winsor.edu>wrote:
> What's happening with electronic textbooks for independent schools? When
> will we get there and how? All that students will need is a book reader and
> a computer, preferably one in the same. How can we plan for this inevitable
> future?
>
> tom flanagan
> academic technology
> the winsor school
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see https://www.gds.org/podium/default.aspx?t=128874]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
> non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>
[ For info on ISED-L see https://www.gds.org/podium/default.aspx?t=128874 ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
