I appreciate you "tuning in" and taking a look at my post.
I want to start each of my posts with a small little joke to break the ice before we dig into the serious stuff. Enjoy!
Ok, onto the topic of the blog....
E-Books! ....(contain yourself if you can)
Introduction
Short for "electronic books", e-books are beginning to make their own little impact in society. Different industries are beginning to get their feet wet introducting e-books as an effective piece of their productivity puzzles. Unfortunately , I am going to concentrate on e-books and the advancing technology being used in educational settings. I may pull different examples from other industries to show a common trend in technology, but that's about it.
Tonight's Topic - Textbooks being replaced?
Here is the article link if you would like to read it before we start...
(Link is from a online newspaper from Dallas, Texas. It is about a transition from paperback textbooks to electronic tablet laptops and updateable e-books)
My initial thought to this article was amazement! It is about time schools found an alternative to paying ridiculously large amounts for textbooks which update every year! With this new technology, schools can update their textbooks via online downloads and servers. Instead of paying shipping costs for each individual class and package, they can now just hook up a wireless network, set up a download time, and have the laptops with the e-books update overnight.
The implications of this technology far surpass just high schools. In college, speaking from experience, we get absolutley hosed when it comes to textbook purchases. If I could get into a situation where I purchase a laptop, then pay a small fee for e-book subscriptions, I would do it in a heartbeat. Not only are we as students paying thousands of dollars for textbooks, but the buy-back rates are short of robbery.
In my mind, I want this technology to develop, and to develop fast.
Potential Problems
- The tool turning into a distraction for high schoolers.
- Costs of maintenance (when, not if) repairs are needed.
- Delay of information if for some reason the servers are down or if the software gets corrupted.
- Kids attempting to manipulate the data being used... they're sneaky like that.
Final Thoughts
I am going to do some more research and see if I can find out what the price difference is between e-book textbooks and regular textbooks. Check back in a couple of days and see if there is much of a difference. If you want to comment on any past experiences with this new e-book technology,..... gimme a shout.
ThanksMark
5 comments:
I like this technology as well. My school district just finished a two year evaluation/textbook buying stint to choose a new reading series. BIG cost! E-books may be the better way to go. I am curious of the cost. I'm sure textbook companies must be concerned with the loss of their livelihoods if this technology becomes widely accepted.
I hope E-book could replace paper-based textbook in the near future. So that we can create our book list according to the courses we choose for each semaster, then download and update the E-books we need.
Mark, I feel the style of your bolg is interesting, text, pictures and hyperlinks, well done!
Mark,
This was a very interesting entry. I am not really sure how I feel about ebooks. My initial reaction is to write a pros and cons list between of ebooks and textbooks.
The cost of ebooks do not show significant savings when compared to textbooks. I have a problem with the fact that young students may be staring at a computer screen for hours at a time if they choose to use ebooks. I do like the fact that using ebooks is a way to prep students for the real world and/or college.
I think my pros and cons list needs to be more extensive and I need to learn more about ebooks before deciding to use ebooks instead of textbooks in my classroom.
THanks for the article and I look forward to reading more.
Ashley
P.S. I like the format of your blog. It makes it more interesting to read with the joke and pictures incorporated into your entries.
Mark, your post is both entertaining and thought-provoking. I look forward to reading more from your blog. Jing
Good words.
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