Everyone knows textbooks are going digital. Even Steve Jobs was meeting with textbook publishers to circumvent states approval of textbooks by including them with I-pads (Young, 2011). Whether it was/is a great idea or a great sales pitch, I’m not sure.
Although some professors are using freely available online resources for their students, others are beginning to be e-book publishers. E-textbooks are portable, customizable, searchable and interactive and, of course, cheaper (Smith, 2010). Combining articles, book chapters and other pieces of material an instructor wants to present is a great way to gather all the information for which a student will be held responsible in one place at a desirable price.Although the e-book advantages seem apparent, there are some professors that are still hesitant to make the change. They are fearful of technical problems that could affect a student’s ability to study. Also, while the cost of the book appears attractive, little mention is made of the fact that you have to purchase the device – whether a computer or e-book reader. Some students have a general reluctance to study from an e-reader, accustomed as they are to traditional text. In other words, they don’t feel that is their learning style. There are also eyestrain and battery limitations. (Nicholas and Lewis, 2010).
What are the challenges for the academic world to move forward with electronic textbooks? Foster and Remy, in their article for the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, suggest the following criteria:
- Content: Must be accessible especially for those with disabilities such as visual impairment
- Navigation: Students will want to be able to highlight sections, input footnotes, end notes and other learner-specific aids.
- Personal Editing: Students need to be able to extract information for the purpose of writing or archiving.
- Collaboration: Students want to be able to share and receive information with others.
- Faculty-generated content and course readers.
- Image Support: Color images, graphs, charts and the like.’
- Support for specific disciplines such as mathematical signs or musical scores and playback.
- Continued access to up-to-date content.
Young, J. (2011, October 25). Steve jobs had hopes of disrupting textbook market [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/steve-jobs-had-hopes-of-disrupting-textbook-market/33912?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Smith, S. (2010). E-textbooks and content delivery. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: CCSP. Retrieved from http://tkbr.ccsp.sfu.ca/bookofmpub/files/2010/04/thebookofmpubdl.pdf
Nicholas, Arlene J. and Lewis, John K., "Learning enhancement or headache: Faculty and e-textbooks" (2010). Faculty and Staff -Articles & Papers. Retrieved from http://escholar.salve.edu/fac_staff_pub/29
Foster, Gavin and Remy, Eric. E-books for academe: A study from gettysburg college. Research Bulletin, (21). EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0921.pdf
This is an issue that I too am conflicted about. While reading books for entertainment in an e-reader format is common and simple for myself, textbooks are another thing. I like to be able to physically hold the book and highlight in it, (the highlighting tool on e-books is not the same to me).
ReplyDeleteA great resource for weighing the pros and cons of an e-book versus a paper book can be found at: http://coeus.hubpages.com/hub/Ebooks-Versus-Paper-Books-The-Pros-and-Cons. It is definitely going to take some time for me to make a full transition to e-readers, possibly getting a Kindle Fire for Christmas could help!! :)
I think the ebook discussion will continue for quite sometime as the challenge of access equality has yet to be met. Like you stated there are obvious advantages to K-12 schools, colleges, universities and their students. In P-Books vs. Ebooks: Are There Education Issues? (20110) Stephan Abram compares the traditional print book with today’s digital and eBooks. I agree that the most valuable advantages to ebooks are the audio reader support, customizable displays, wide range of content, and over time the green factor.
ReplyDeleteReference
Abram, S. (2010). P-Books vs. Ebooks: are there education issues?. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 17(6), 13-16.
I think the use of ebooks is great for technology savy students. I think they would enjoy have to carry on small gadget with all of their books; rather than 5 to 6 big heavy books. Yes there are problems with students who like to highlight or take notes in their books. But one of the good things is the look-up feature, where if you are not familiar with a word you can look it up immediately.
ReplyDeleteBut one question I have is what about the battery life and what do we do in the classroom?
Young share his thoughts on ebooks:
1.Judge ebooks by their covers – All ebooks reading software is not created equal.
2.Learning curves ahead – Students have had years of practice learning how to learn from paper-based textbooks.
4.Dead batteries – Hopefully this problem that will go away as better battery technologies are developed
5.Subjects are not equally e-friendly – Some disciplines may be better suited to e-textbooks than others.
References:
J. Young, 2009. 6 Lessons One Campus Learned About E-Textbooks. The Chronicle of Higher Education