Inkling 2.0: When a textbook becomes more than a textbook — from hackeducation.com by Audrey Watters

From DSC:
Audrey explores the trend that “books” are becoming more “app” like — and will likely be increasingly available as downloads via the Internet/cloud.

 

 

A very interesting concept — game-like reading on tablet devices — from Walrus Epub:
Walrus Epub Demo#3 – Kadath— my thanks to Mr. Steven Chevalia for this resource

Very interesting concept -- game-like reading!

Excerpt:

  • The new video demo made by the Walrus studio, involving ePub3 with a huge use of HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript.

From DSC:
A good example of how books are moving to ebooks which are then moving to applications.

 

Khan Academy integrates with digital textbooks — from Mashable.com by Sarah Kessler

Excerpt:

E-textbook maker Kno announced Monday that it will integrate thousands of tutorial videos from Khan Academy into its books.

 

Also see:

From Brett Victor’s “Kill Math” page

The power to understand and predict the quantities of the world should not be restricted to those with a freakish knack for manipulating abstract symbols.

When most people speak of Math, what they have in mind is more its mechanism than its essence. This “Math” consists of assigning meaning to a set of symbols, blindly shuffling around these symbols according to arcane rules, and then interpreting a meaning from the shuffled result. The process is not unlike casting lots.

This mechanism of math evolved for a reason: it was the most efficient means of modeling quantitative systems given the constraints of pencil and paper. Unfortunately, most people are not comfortable with bundling up meaning into abstract symbols and making them dance. Thus, the power of math beyond arithmetic is generally reserved for a clergy of scientists and engineers (many of whom struggle with symbolic abstractions more than they’ll actually admit).

We are no longer constrained by pencil and paper. The symbolic shuffle should no longer be taken for granted as the fundamental mechanism for understanding quantity and change. Math needs a new interface.

Also see:

 

Teaching secrets: Teaching students how to learn — from Edweek.org by Cossondra George

Excerpt:

Awareness of common pitfalls and effective strategies can support your efforts to help students “learn to learn” throughout the school year…

 

From DSC:
I sure wish instructional designers, subject matter experts, professors and teachers could annotate their “books” to give concrete, practical ideas and strategies that would help students to better study, understand, and remember the relevant materials.  My early take on this might be achieved via a multi-layered, digital textbook approach that would hopefully address metacognition and help students learn how to learn:

 

 

What the Kindle textbook rental program portends for higher education — from xplana.com by Rob Reynolds

Excerpt:

Almost as soon as the press release hit the Internet yesterday, I began fielding questions about Amazon’s new Kindle textbook rental program. What does this mean for publishers? How will this affect textbook prices? What impact will it have on institutions and their students?

While the general answer to all of these questions is “We don’t know yet,” there are a number of projections I think we can make based on current market trends. Before launching into those projections, however, let’s take a quick look at what the Kindle textbook rental program actually offers.

Borders forced to liquidate, close all stores — from the WSJ by Mike Spector and Jeff Trachtenberg

Also see:

 

From DSC:
Another example — like Blockbuster — of a company who underestimated the disruptive power of technology.

Digital Book 2011 – presentation slides now available — from International Digital Publishing Forum (idpf.org)

Presentation slides from IDPF Digital Book 2011 at BEA (May 23-24 2011) can be downloaded from links in each speaker’s biography.

 

Also see:

  • Introduction to e-books — from JISC
    This guide discusses the various types of electronic book (e-book) and  ways to read them. It also discusses some key design considerations for e-book production and introduces  the types of multimedia file formats that can be supported.

Royal Holloway to validate publisher Pearson’s degree — from the BBC

  • Publishing giant Pearson has announced a partnership with Royal Holloway university that will allow it to enter the degree market.
  • The university is to validate a degree in business, developed by Pearson, which says it eventually wants its own degree-awarding powers.
  • A White Paper last week outlined government plans to allow the expansion of private degree providers.
  • But the lecturers’ union warned of a possible focus on profitable courses.
  • Pearson said the degree would be available from September 2012.
  • It said it was in talks with further education colleges, which would teach the course.

From DSC:
Many of the publishers already have teams of specialists in place; i.e. they’ve already set their tables (see the graphic I created below that represents where I believe ALL institutions of higher education need to get to — and as quickly as possible).

 

 

Publishers launch first digital-only textbook for K-12 — from Mashable.com by Sarah Kessler

Excerpt:

McGraw-Hill launched its first all-digital, cloud-based textbook for the K-12 market on Monday at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference.

Unlike the company’s previous digital efforts for this age group, the books are intended to be used as primary texts (other McGraw-Hill digital texts have been sold as a companion of physical textbooks). This is the first time a major publisher has launched such a platform.

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