Quote:
Originally Posted by Robo
I wouldn't say that's the only way for them to be successful.
My sister literally has to take a giant rolling suitcase to school for all her huge medical textbooks. So that's a factor.
Also, anyone who played around with Push Pop's Our Choice should be able to easily envision the possibilities for more dynamic textbooks. In-line video, adjustable charts, 3D diagrams...it'd be amazing. And a lot of print textbooks come with either CDs (ew!) or codes to access a website with study aids, quizzes, &c. All that stuff could be built into an e-text — it could be the textbook, the workbook, and the overachiever-y website all in one.
At the very least, I don't think e-texts would have to be half the price of the used text to stand a chance (and I'm not expecting them to be). Sure, you can't trade in an ebook, but I don't think most students are thinking about trading in their textbooks when they buy them. In my experience, most students treated their textbook trade-ins as bonus beer money — it wasn't something they built into their financial plan from the start of the term, or anything.
|
+1
I am excited about the future of digital textbooks, and not just because they will be lighter and easier to carry. Just imagine a textbook where all those static images/charts/examples can be both animated and interactive. Replacing static photos with videos where applicable or beneficial; Using animated images to show things like plate tectonics/cell growth/application of force/energy concepts/equation solving/and on and on; Allowing students to practice equation solving on the device, or to ask for additional examples; Using audio snippets where applicable (especially for vision impaired individuals).
You could almost argue that digital textbooks would be so much better than paper textbooks, that they could actually be more valuable/cost more.
I sincerely hope that doesn't happen though. The whole pricing/purchasing/ecosystem is probably the more complicated part of the whole movement. For instance, right now, schools (thinking about K-12 here) buy a text book and keep it for a number of years. During that time, they might buy a few more copies here or there, but for the most part, it seems like textbook purchases happen in big, infrequent cycles. With digital textbooks, they could go to more of a subscription model with an initial buy-in, followed by a yearly subscription for updates.
And I think there's a way to solve the used text issue as well - as long as the publishing industry is up for helping to find a solution. They should be. I think it's in their long term interest to facilitate something that is simple and reasonable enough for people to make pirating less desirable.