Publisher Touts 20-Point Boost in Student Performance with Textbooks for iPad

[Ryth]

Gateway drug so to speak.

Do you have young kids or are even near young kids? They are more anti-social and are constantly using their ipod touches/ipads instead of interacting with people. And heaven forbid you try and take it away or talk to them/engage them in conversation.

Again - I'm not against technology. I just think it's a TOOL - not the answer to learning in total.

I don't have kids but a lot of my friends do. You know what they do? They make their kids put down the iPod/iPad/Video game controllers and go outside, sit at the table during dinner and talk about the what they did in school, and participate in after school sports or activities.

Again, you are talking entirely about two different things...the anti-social behavior has ALWAYS been around. It doesn't matter if the anti-social kid has his head in a book when it was 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and up to now the iPad or iPod touch. That is a behavioral thing that falls on the parents to socialize their kids through INTERACTION and also the teachers.

And many kids are more social due to social networking actually...so you again are comparing apples and oranges here...in person anti social behavior to say someone who has no friends/is anti social in general.

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Over dramatic? No. Have you read all my posts? I'm all for technology. I also stated it's a tool. And just ONE tool. There are, however, people who want to immediately imagine a world without the printed page. Why have regular books when everything can be on the iPad now in color, swirling images, video, links, etc.

No... perhaps I'm coming off anti-technology but nothing can be further from the truth. And quite realistically - it's going to be years before full course loads exist for students. It will take several years for enough books to be made available where the iPad becomes the "major" tool of choice for educators. Right now and for the next few years at least it will be dabbling.

But samcraig you ARE lumping various social patterns/problems together under the guise of digitalization being the root of the problem.

I see it and other users see it also.

The iPad isn't the problem. Nor was the book ever the problem.

The only thing I agree with that computers/games have caused is a lot of fat kids and individuals.

 

[JAT]

The only thing I agree with that computers/games have caused is a lot of fat kids and individuals.

Yes, but as you said earlier, that's the parents' fault. The TV/game stuff is merely the bullet.

Sam, you really are setting up just as many of your own strawmen in this thread. Maybe it's time to let the debate over whose fault future problems will have been die for the day.

 

[samcraig]

And many kids are more social due to social networking actually...so you again are comparing apples and oranges here...in person anti social behavior to say someone who has no friends/is anti social in general.

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I am sincerely split on this analysis. I think social networking is great and people are able to keep in touch in ways like never before. I also think social networking sites are somewhat anti-social because people are so connected online they don't connect the same way or communicate the same way in person anymore.

Hanging out in a chat room - or spending the night in front of the computer commenting on people's FB pages is not the same as a sleep over or other face-to-face activities.

 

[Gomff]

I agree with the argument that iBooks 2 is cool and a great augmentation to traditional teaching methods, but I don't want to see books disappear.

Something that jumped out at me in the Apple iBooks movie that was shown was how easy everything was being made for the would be student...I'm paraphrasing a bit but there were expressions along the lines of "The student doesn't need to go hunting through the book for the right chapter" etc and I felt a bit uncomfortable about that.

I could be wrong but for me, if something is too easy then it just makes people lazier. If you can't find the right chapter in your text book then maybe you shouldn't be studying biology. Part of learning is curiosity and the seeking of knowledge, not just having it spoon fed to a mind that has become accustomed to convenience.

I also wasn't entirely comfortable with some of the spin about iPads being more durable than a textbook. Really? It's a lot easier to read a textbook in broad daylight than an iPad. A textbook will come out better if it's caught in a rain shower. And it doesn't need electricity to charge either.

I'm not against iBooks....I think they're cool but I think there's also a lot of hype which isn't really helping.

 

[lilo777]

Bs

If computers were so critical to education, USA education would outperform China and India by a huge margin. The reality as we know is quite opposite. When you try to "engage" children by showing then nice pictures it simply helps them to kill the time. It does not encourage them to think. Computers might be useful but primarily for learning... computers.

 

[TMay]

I think it's presumptuous to state that some of us don't have teaching experience. Truth is - you have no idea what experience we do or don't have.

You don't have teaching experience. You have friends that teach. If you had experience, you would have provided your own anecdotal evidence, not your friends' experiences.

 

[owensd]

I could be wrong but for me, if something is too easy then it just makes people lazier. If you can't find the right chapter in your text book then maybe you shouldn't be studying biology. Part of learning is curiosity and the seeking of knowledge, not just having it spoon fed to a mind that has become accustomed to convenience.

There's making tedious things easy and there's doing things for you. It's a fine line. I rarely made flash cards because it was tedious and the process of making the flash cards didn't help me; using the flash cards was beneficial and helpful. I love that iBooks can take your notes and make them flash cards, such a better use of time.

I also wasn't entirely comfortable with some of the spin about iPads being more durable than a textbook. Really? It's a lot easier to read a textbook in broad daylight than an iPad. A textbook will come out better if it's caught in a rain shower. And it doesn't need electricity to charge either.

Reading in light has nothing to do with durability. And reading a textbook in broad daylight is very challenging as well as those pages reflect a significant amount of light back at you making the pages very bright. You can see them much better than the iPad, but I wouldn't want to read either direct sunshine.

Um... rain showers and books, not a good combo either, unless you light really curled up and smeared pages. But it's about tradeoffs. The durability issues that Apple was bringing up are clearly about the usability of the book under wear-and-tear over time. Kids writing in books, bending/tearing pages, bindings breaking (from constant use). Those don't happen with eBooks in general. The durability of dropping the iPad vs. dropping a book was not the correlation Apple was talking about.

 

[malman89]

Would like a future independent study. Of course when the pilot begun, the kids were excited to try out their new and shiny math app. Let's see how the results look when the kid is no longer excited by the newness of the app and gets used to the app 'being the way it is' like a textbook.

 

[smoledman]

I for one wish I had an iPad when I was going to school. Imagine killing time with Angry Birds instead of listening to another boring lecture.

 

[malman89]

I for one wish I had an iPad when I was going to school. Imagine killing time with Angry Birds instead of listening to another boring lecture.

Imagine paying attention and learning something instead of playing a mediocre casual game.

 

[Gomff]

There's making tedious things easy and there's doing things for you. It's a fine line. I rarely made flash cards because it was tedious and the process of making the flash cards didn't help me; using the flash cards was beneficial and helpful. I love that iBooks can take your notes and make them flash cards, such a better use of time.

Sure....I agree and I thought the flash cards feature was cool. But again, it involves the student actively taking part in the organisation and manner in which they learn, rather than just passively observing it. Personally I think this helps the learning process.

And reading a textbook in broad daylight is very challenging as well as those pages reflect a significant amount of light back at you making the pages very bright. You can see them much better than the iPad, but I wouldn't want to read either direct sunshine.

Can't agree with this....I've read plenty of books on a beach or by a pool in sunshine and it's been fine. I tried it once with the iPad and I hated it. In darker environments the iPad is perfect but in sunshine books are way easier to read.

Um... rain showers and books, not a good combo either, unless you light really curled up and smeared pages. But it's about tradeoffs. The durability issues that Apple was bringing up are clearly about the usability of the book under wear-and-tear over time. Kids writing in books, bending/tearing pages, bindings breaking (from constant use). Those don't happen with eBooks in general. The durability of dropping the iPad vs. dropping a book was not the correlation Apple was talking about.

You seem to contradict yourself a little. Earlier you say that usability isn't the same as durability (which I agree with, I should perhaps have been more clear myself) but then in this last paragraph you say "The durability issues that Apple was bringing up are clearly about the usability of the book under wear-and-tear over time.". Maybe I'm reading it wrong but it seems like you want it both ways.

I would say an iPad is more fragile in a school bag than textbooks are, what with all that glass to shatter and aluminium to get dinged out of shape.

Anyhow, my point with a shower was that a book would likely still be usable if it was caught in a rain shower whereas an iPad would likely not be. Sure the pages might need to be dried out and it might not be pretty but it's value as a source of knowledge would be intact.

Again, I'm not anti iBooks or the iPad....I have them both and I like them. Where possible I read on my iPad now because most books I will only read once and probably don't want still kicking about the place afterwards.

But I just think the hype is a little much. I have a complete works of Shakespeare on my bookshelf which is a hundred years old and it's wonderful to hold and look through. Will people be saying that about iPads in a hundred years?

 

[samcraig]

You don't have teaching experience. You have friends that teach. If you had experience, you would have provided your own anecdotal evidence, not your friends' experiences.

Ah but that is where you are wrong. I just haven't taught in the last 8 years. But I have taught. I was also a youth group advisor for high school kids for several years. I have 1st hand anecdotes. I just didn't use them as my friends who are teachers are more current is all.

 

[smoledman]

But I just think the hype is a little much. I have a complete works of Shakespeare on my bookshelf which is a hundred years old and it's wonderful to hold and look through. Will people be saying that about iPads in a hundred years?

In a hundred years everyone will be uploading the complete works of Shakespere to their brains via a Matrix-type link. It will be called the iLink system

 

[Ryth]

Yes, but as you said earlier, that's the parents' fault. The TV/game stuff is merely the bullet.

Well the difference in the analogy there is I'm talking about entertainment...we have forms of entertainment that encourage individuals to stay inside vs activities outside which many of us grew up without.

Something that jumped out at me in the Apple iBooks movie that was shown was how easy everything was being made for the would be student...I'm paraphrasing a bit but there were expressions along the lines of "The student doesn't need to go hunting through the book for the right chapter" etc and I felt a bit uncomfortable about that.

I could be wrong but for me, if something is too easy then it just makes people lazier. If you can't find the right chapter in your text book then maybe you shouldn't be studying biology. Part of learning is curiosity and the seeking of knowledge, not just having it spoon fed to a mind that has become accustomed to convenience.

Searching for information shouldn't be a hassle..if it's easily available then that is more time saved for the individual to work on said problem/solution.

I think you are comparing/confusing important building blocks in teaching an individual hard work vs being handed something...and with information...that's just not the case or correct analogy.

I know what you're getting at...but it's not applied here...but does apply in lots of other places...especially with the entitled generations we have now.

 

[Renzatic]

Well the difference in the analogy there is I'm talking about entertainment...we have forms of entertainment that encourage individuals to stay inside vs activities outside which many of us grew up without.

If I wanted to see a movie when I was a kid, I had to walk three blocks...THREE BLOCKS...to visit special stores that rented out these huge black tapes (and also doubled as tanning salons for some strange reason). Sometimes when I got there, the movie I wanted to see was checked out. Life was tragic and difficult back then. Not at all like now, when all the movies you want to see are just a couple of button clicks away from being beamed directly to your TV. You kids these days don't know how good you got it.

Also dysentery. And music still on MTV. GET THE ******* OUT OF MY ROSE BUSHES!

 

[smoledman]

I think you are comparing/confusing important building blocks in teaching an individual hard work vs being handed something...and with information...that's just not the case or correct analogy.

I know what you're getting at...but it's not applied here...but does apply in lots of other places...especially with the entitled generations we have now.

What I see is a bias against highly linked content. Currently with regular textbooks all content is unlinked due to the analog nature of it. I fail to see how introducing the internet concept of highly linked content into a textbook will cause children to learn worse then previous generations. I think super-smart kids will always rise to the top regardless of the tools, but better tools can help raise the currently mediocre to a higher level. I mean if iPads in the classroom help produce more American engineers instead of burger flippers isn't that a good thing?

 

[thewitt]

I'm so glad the naysayers among you are not in charge at Apple or any of the publishing houses involved here.

If you were, well there would be no iPad....

This will be yet another game changer, brought to you by those innovative geniuses who don't waste their time posting on Internet forums...

 

[lanceh5]

I downloaded one of the free College Algebra books. It was well presented. Math and Engineering will benefit from this. I am not sure if the Humanities or Literature will benefit as much. This is a huge step for education.

 

[kockgunner]

My goodness! Makes you wonder how all the intellectual achievements from the beginning of time ever happend without an iPad app.

Seriously, it's a little disingenuous to say a short, limited pilot is much proof of anything. Obviously kids are going to be more engaged with something new but ultimately, as always, learning comes down to quality content and human (be it peer, teacher, or TA) interaction with the students. The iPad is not going to save our schools. At some point normally unmotivated kids will become as bored with iPad books as paper books once the novelty wears off.

That's not true for everyone. I know many like myself who are self learners.

I downloaded the free biology textbook on the iPad and for the first time since childhood, I got the same feeling as when I discovered something new when reading factbooks during afternoons.

I think this is going to be a big boon to educators especially in subjects like biology where visualising how something works is essential in understanding it.

 

[Eidorian]

That's not true for everyone. I know many like myself who are self learners.

I downloaded the free biology textbook on the iPad and for the first time since childhood, I got the same feeling as when I discovered something new when reading factbooks during afternoons.

I think this is going to be a big boon to educators especially in subjects like biology where visualising how something works is essential in understanding it.

Now if I just did not need an iPad to try this out.

 

[00sjsl]

This is a game changer. Think about constant updates and or corrections. No longer will you have books that are years old.

So it will follow the software model. First version can be full of errors because they can be corrected later. And stuff must be held back to give people a reason to buy the next version.

 

[marksman]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Technology like this (and textbooks like these) would have definetly helped me to stay focused and be a better a student while in high school. For me a thick old textbook on the desk, with a list of chapters or pages to read marked on the chalkboard, always seemed like such a daunting task.

But now become more interactive and interesting, and of course more visually stimulating to your mind. I would have loved to have these!

Until this becomes old, boring and the norm.

Nah it is more natural. Kids in 2012 probably spend no time handling physical books except for school. It is archaic. This is more in tune with what they are used to and media trumps words these days for kids. Videos are what they share not articles.

 

[JohnStrass]

Selection Bias

Would like a future independent study. Of course when the pilot begun, the kids were excited to try out their new and shiny math app. Let's see how the results look when the kid is no longer excited by the newness of the app and gets used to the app 'being the way it is' like a textbook.

The weed-smokin burnout probably would not bother to follow-through the requirements to sign out an iPad; the more academically oriented ones will gleefully take one.

I really was not surprised with the story that the "silicon valley" big shots send kids to Montessori schools where computers and gadgets are not used at all....

 

[malman89]

The weed-smokin burnout probably would not bother to follow-through the requirements to sign out an iPad; the more academically oriented ones will gleefully take one.

Wow, way to sound like a total idiot. Looking at the source story, as someone who isn't a jagoff would easily assume, two teachers had to pick one class each to have their students use the iPad app and the rest of their classes had to use the regular textbook. Much easier than having 12 kids in one class, 8 in another, 10 in one and 10 in a fourth.

 

[Minimoose 360]