Comments on: Apple unveils interactive textbooks, revamped iTunes U http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/01/19/apple-unveils-interactive-textbooks-revamped-itunes-u/ Just another eSchool Media site Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:37:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: carinjk http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/01/19/apple-unveils-interactive-textbooks-revamped-itunes-u/comment-page-1/#comment-75001 carinjk Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:13:09 +0000 http://www.eschoolnews.com/?p=93897#comment-75001 Besides the points mentioned above, I also wonder where the information used to create said text books is coming from: are they going in business with current text book companies who must be familiar with state and national standards, which must be covered by text books in K-12? How is the technology going to be regulated and aligned? How will it be funded? Will their be 'choice'? How will teachers be trained to utilize and transfer teaching to this method? Etc. Etc. I believe without a doubt, this is the wave of the future (I currently "teach" online courses-many pluses) because it will ultimately save money in many ways for state taxpayers. It is also the media which young people today are familiar with. Plus it will be easy to update texts, where now we often have to use outdated information and methods due to the cost of funding new text books. There is a possibility for professionals in the field to be integrated into some of the subjects, which would be invaluable. However there are also many many kinks to work out before it is a practical and useful tool for teaching and learning at public schools. We are at the beginning creating a new paradigm. Besides the points mentioned above, I also wonder where the information used to create said text books is coming from: are they going in business with current text book companies who must be familiar with state and national standards, which must be covered by text books in K-12? How is the technology going to be regulated and aligned? How will it be funded? Will their be ‘choice’? How will teachers be trained to utilize and transfer teaching to this method? Etc. Etc.
I believe without a doubt, this is the wave of the future (I currently “teach” online courses-many pluses) because it will ultimately save money in many ways for state taxpayers. It is also the media which young people today are familiar with. Plus it will be easy to update texts, where now we often have to use outdated information and methods due to the cost of funding new text books. There is a possibility for professionals in the field to be integrated into some of the subjects, which would be invaluable. However there are also many many kinks to work out before it is a practical and useful tool for teaching and learning at public schools. We are at the beginning creating a new paradigm.

]]> By: jerrycobbs http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/01/19/apple-unveils-interactive-textbooks-revamped-itunes-u/comment-page-1/#comment-74995 jerrycobbs Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:44:27 +0000 http://www.eschoolnews.com/?p=93897#comment-74995 First let me say I am not an Apple hater. I use an iPad daily. It is a beautiful piece of technology and has already transformed the way millions of people use the web. But I have two major concerns with this plan. First, do we really want to tie so much of our educational content to <strong>one</strong> device from <strong>one</strong> manufacturer? It's not the same situation as the fact that most schools use Microsoft Office; in this case the educational content is wedded to the device. Second, according to multiple sources, if an author chooses to sell his or her work through Apple, they give up all rights to sell the work anywhere else. That means no Android, Nook, or Kindle versions allowed. It's Apple's way or the highway. The only way around this restriction is to offer the work for free. Now granted, that's not very different from an exclusive deal with a traditional publisher, EXCEPT that again, <i>the content is wedded to the device.</i> Imagine publishing a paper textbook under a contract that, for instance, forbade schools to allow the books to go home with students, or required students to read them in only in the library. Schools and content authors need to look very, very carefully under the hood of this deal before signing on, and in my opinion the educational community needs to tell Apple "Thanks, but no thanks" to the restrictive ebook EULA. First let me say I am not an Apple hater. I use an iPad daily. It is a beautiful piece of technology and has already transformed the way millions of people use the web. But I have two major concerns with this plan. First, do we really want to tie so much of our educational content to one device from one manufacturer? It’s not the same situation as the fact that most schools use Microsoft Office; in this case the educational content is wedded to the device.

Second, according to multiple sources, if an author chooses to sell his or her work through Apple, they give up all rights to sell the work anywhere else. That means no Android, Nook, or Kindle versions allowed. It’s Apple’s way or the highway. The only way around this restriction is to offer the work for free. Now granted, that’s not very different from an exclusive deal with a traditional publisher, EXCEPT that again, the content is wedded to the device. Imagine publishing a paper textbook under a contract that, for instance, forbade schools to allow the books to go home with students, or required students to read them in only in the library.

Schools and content authors need to look very, very carefully under the hood of this deal before signing on, and in my opinion the educational community needs to tell Apple “Thanks, but no thanks” to the restrictive ebook EULA.

]]> By: gyrhead http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/01/19/apple-unveils-interactive-textbooks-revamped-itunes-u/comment-page-1/#comment-74988 gyrhead Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:00:41 +0000 http://www.eschoolnews.com/?p=93897#comment-74988 Hopefully the cost savings realized from buying iBooks textbooks will be substantial enough to justify and support 1:1 iPad initiatives for students. Hopefully the cost savings realized from buying iBooks textbooks will be substantial enough to justify and support 1:1 iPad initiatives for students.

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