Apple Poised to Benefit from U.S. Government's Five-Year Push for Digital Textbooks

neiltc13 said:

Seems like more government waste. There is nothing wrong with ordinary textbooks, is there?

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What, aside from the fact that they're big, heavy, non-interactive, not environmentally friendly and 4-5 years out of date by the time they're published? Live internet links, automatic updates, built-in 1-touch glossaries and searchable contents only touch the surface of what e-books could do for education. And aside from the start-up cost for hardware, the cost of books could actually be less in the long term, because e-books cost much less to publish than physical books, and school districts could benefit from volume discounts.

re original article

i'm for it - if the content is enriching and inspiring - and students really learn

klaxamazoo said:

I'm sorry, but realistically, most textbooks do not need to change every year at the K-12 level. Algebra, Trig, Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, Classics for English classes. These are all very well established topics with very little change at the core/basic level taught in K-12. The only classes I can think of that would benefit from being updated is History, but even then, most of the history I learned was pre-1940's and the core of those topics are do not dramatically change from year to year.

The only group that really benefits from the cost savings is College students because they get raped every quarter/semester on books whereas the subjects taught in K-12 are pretty static with used textbooks readily available (from what I remember at least).

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I think there's more to this than a simple "it's cheaper." I'll definitely agree, 2+2 equaled 4 yesterday and it will tomorrow. Oxygen is still an element, etc....

But I think the opportunity is to also help people learn better. And that can be accomplished from boosting engagement to providing different ways to teach. What if I had the "two trains are leaving the station, one going 50 MPH and the other ..." I could actually show what happened?

No more doodling in the margins

neiltc13 said:

Seems like more government waste. There is nothing wrong with ordinary textbooks, is there?

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Aside from the extreme expense in maintaining and purchasing the textbooks, not to mention the fact that most texts aren't updated for those very reasons, it's not waste.

Digital textbooks will allow for frequent updates/revisions, lower costs in an already expensive market (esp once higher education textbooks are revamped as they are outrageous) and it will be a benefit long term as costs will lower thereby taking the pressure of state/public schools in funding for much needed textbooks to K-12 grades.

Currently, teachers are using their own personal funds to acquire textbooks for their students due to outrageous financial local/state cutbacks. There are many schools engaging in text book fairs; schools swap books that are needed. That is a very sad statement regarding the lack of care from our local and federal government in educating the generations to come.

People may view this as "socialism," well, we have socialism in our police force and emergency systems, it's been in our educational system since day one. If we don't look out for each other in the education and job market, we will continue to slip globally and will not be able to compete in the international markets. America doesn't realize what other first world nations who have surpassed us already do, that a collective whole/country is only as strong as its weakest link. Helping others to achieve better through financial and educational support should be a primary goal in solving possible economic downtime when we have a populace that can be gainfully employed. It's a "big picture" scenario, and it starts with the little picture, revamping how we educate our nation.

Just some thoughts

(not to mention it may allow for more regulation against certain politically parties from modifying textbooks and thus history as was documented and done with certain past administrations)

Frankly, I'd hope the government go for a more open approach than Apple's textbooks. Vendor lock-in is not something I would wish on students.

Diode said:

Ehh a Otterbox or something similar would alleviate a lot of the accidental drops.

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I like the idea of a stripped-down iPad 2 (no camera, WiFi only, 8 GB) in an Otterbox-like enclosure with a bulk edu price of $199.

Let's keep in mind that this is a long-term initiative, and the cost of tablet computers will come down over that time frame.

klaxamazoo said:

I'm sorry, but realistically, most textbooks do not need to change every year at the K-12 level.

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Yes, but you still just READ them. Have you seen the free text book? The videos and interactivity are invaluable, IMO. It's becoming clear that children learn in many different ways. My son is developmentally disabled and while he knows how to read, it is extremely difficult for him. Those who are resistant to this leap forward in learning are not getting the full picture. You are not replacing a paper text book with the same book on an iPad. You are replacing it with an amazing enhancement to the entire learning process.

every iPad needs a case/cover

My first iPad readily broke when it slipped from my desk onto the floor. Since then I've been using my iPad2 in a case. These cases are available from about $15 on Amazon.com and I'm sure schools could get better pricing in volume. My iPad's been protected ever since and I would not use or have my iPad without a case anymore.

Ugg said:

Would Apple be willing to provide financing, tech support, insurance and backup storage?

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I forgot what "tech support" was since I switched to Mac three years ago. Macs and iOS devices "just work." A stark contrast to the numerous hours I logged in phone calls to India to resolve Windows issues during my pre-OSX/iOS days.

So no more studying outside in the sun i suppose...

Great school configuration

MacinDoc said:

I like the idea of a stripped-down iPad 2 (no camera, WiFi only, 8 GB) in an Otterbox-like enclosure with a bulk edu price of $199.

Let's keep in mind that this is a long-term initiative, and the cost of tablet computers will come down over that time frame.

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Wow! That's a smart configuration, maybe a 'bit more memory...

Apple should come out with a special version of the iPad for education, like they did with the eMac years ago. It would be ruggedized, cost much less than standard iPads (maybe $250-$300), and only be available to students and teachers. That would help spur mass adoption from schools. And I bet you'd see a lot more kids growing up using Pages, Numbers, and Keynote too.

EDIT: Oops, I missed Macindoc's post...yeah, that's kind of what I'm talking about. I think Apple likes profit though, I doubt they'd sell anything quite at cost. 8 GB isn't enough for these new digital textbooks though, some of those will weigh in at many GB each.

miles01110 said:

Most books don't really need updating, Pre-algebra is still pre-algebra, after all. Textbooks might be analog and old-fashioned, but for a school environment they have one quality the iPad doesn't have: the ability to take a beating and still be 100% as functional as they were before year after year. Can't say the same about an iPad.

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Very true. In a school that has about 300 kids per class, I can guarantee at least 1 kid drops their iPad and shatters the screen PER DAY, with at least 1 iPad per week stolen.

While I can see some advantages to digital books, call me old fashioned.

For my professional library, I want real books that have my notes in the margines, my sticky notes, and highlights

Nothing against digital textbooks -- but really deplore the Fed govt, and certainly the FCC of all agencies, from "pushing", i.e., declaring a winner, of any kind of tech into the schoolroom. That is really a call for state and local school boards.

Digital textbooks are essentially a brand new tech. How about some bigger pilot programs before pushing every school in the country to adopt them.

chirpie said:

Maybe that's one of things Steve and Mr. Obama talked about. ^_^;

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I'd bet me jollies on it.

neiltc13 said:

Seems like more government waste. There is nothing wrong with ordinary textbooks, is there?

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You mean besides being outdated the moment the come off the printing press?

An iPad is more than an ebook reader

You can focus on the value of switching textbooks to iPads and how costly it may appear to be, but the iPad is not single use. It can be an incredible educational tool before adding textbooks into the equation. Any school worth its chops would, if each and every student had a school-issued iPad, make the best use of it. Individual email accounts, for one, would provide a great way to reach each and every student. Then there are school bulletin boards, notices, even a student newspaper perhaps. There are all sorts of inventive ways for the school and the student body to utilize the iPad. Let's not forget, too, that if they belong to the school, the iPads can be tracked with a "Find my iPad" kind of functionality.

For the price - be it $300, $400 or $500, you can actually get a good bang for the buck.

kas23 said:

Very true. In a school that has about 300 kids per class, I can guarantee at least 1 kid drops their iPad and shatters the screen PER DAY, with at least 1 iPad per week stolen.

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My kids drop mine routinely. The Otterbox takes a LOT of puishment.

neiltc13 said:

Seems like more government waste. There is nothing wrong with ordinary textbooks, is there?

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Aside from wasting tons of paper and providing students with outdated information that puts them behind everyone else who DOES go digital, yeah, nothing at all. In fact, why bother with new books at all? We can just use old ones from 10-15 years ago since nothing at all has happened in that time frame. I'd love to take a class to learn about President Clinton's new initiatives and the peaceful progress of Middle East talks.

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klaxamazoo said:

kironin said:

I beg to differ, most so need to change. You just cherry picked the one example that needs the least change.

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I'm sorry, but realistically, most textbooks do not need to change every year at the K-12 level. Algebra, Trig, Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, Classics for English classes. These are all very well established topics with very little change at the core/basic level taught in K-12. The only classes I can think of that would benefit from being updated is History, but even then, most of the history I learned was pre-1940's and the core of those topics are do not dramatically change from year to year.

The only group that really benefits from the cost savings is College students because they get raped every quarter/semester on books whereas the subjects taught in K-12 are pretty static with used textbooks readily available (from what I remember at least).

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Chemistry books must change as new elements are discovered and added to the periodic table. Geography obviously changes as new countries are formed, names are changed, new leaders are elected, etc. Earth sciences may need to be updated as new theories are crafted. Even English books would need to be updated when MLA updates its criteria for writing papers. Technology textbooks are often obsolete before they reach bookstores. Math may not change much, but it seems to me that more than just history would need to be updated.

dukebound85 said:

For my professional library, I want real books that have my notes in the margines, my sticky notes, and highlights

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Advantages you don't get when you're using a school-bought, school-issued, school-owned textbook.

The reality

I work in a school district, 7th larges in CA and 35th-ish largest in the US. We are trying to deploy iPads just for enrichment and engaging learning. I can tell all of you from experience the problem with iPads is the back end management. Having an iPad in each students had will be a night mare. All we have is regular iTunes to micromanage, update, add content etc. It's a complete joke. Before I take Apple seriously they need to develop an enterprise version of iOS with a back end management system that allows us to batch manage the iPads. Not touch each one individually or recover from a backup through iTunes.

Apple needs to understand that iPads will be used a community devices in schools not individual devices. trying to use an iPad with several end users is also a freagin nightmare. These things are HOME devices not EDU or Enterprise. This won't be successful until they change the way we can manage them.

What we need is:

A way to send rules to multiple iPads at once
Wipe multiple at once
Back up all devices at once
Ability to send books and date to multiple iPads at once
Ability to lock out the iPads so users cannot change it's data or login to iTunes, but not in the profile config way in a way that does not also lock out the admin.

I could go on for days.....

If you want an edge in big gov., it helps to have Al Gorekdawerldbysellinstupidlies in your board. Smart move on Steve's part: getting the devil on board to be able to control the height of the flames.

porky said:

So no more studying outside in the sun i suppose...

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What nerd studies in the sun? The only reason you go out there is to study the anatomy of other students. Or escape flatulence caused by the school food.