Textbooks on the iPad- Is it really a game changer?

Apple has announced that it is now taking the leap into textbooks. They have integrated textbooks into the iPad with the release of iBooks 2. Apple claims that this will fundamentally change the way students learn and the way teachers teach, but before anything like this can happen there are several hurdles to overcome. Unfortunately, Apple being Apple has put some unnecessary walls in place to make the adoption of electronic textbooks using iBooks more difficult than necessary.

For one thing, the cost is going to play a key factor. Even though Apple claims that the textbook cost could be as low as $15 annually, this neglects to include the cost of the iPad into the equation. Currently in K-12, textbooks are often used for several years spreading out the current cost of a textbook throughout its years of usage.  It may work better for higher education or private schools where the cost could be thrown into the cost of tuition, or the students could be expected to pay for the device for their own personal usage.

There is also the cost of the hardware needed to take advantage of iBooks. The cheapest iPad is $499, and that doesn't include any accessories like a case to protect the device. The typical lifespan of one of these devices is expected to be about 2 years. This could be either diminished or extended based on the usage of the device. So in a best case scenario, a public school would most likely have to spend about $500 per device per student every two years.

Needless to say, this would be a very costly endeavor for a public school to implement. Potentially, a school could apply for a grant to cover the initial cost of the devices, but after they are purchased, there is still the problem of maintaining them. When looking at all of these factors, it begins to become obvious that this would be difficult to sustain.

Microsoft Academic Search

Microsoft has a new beta service out. It's called Microsoft Academic Search. It is still in beta which basically means that it is still a work in progress, but there seems to be a lot of potential. It is still fairly functional in its current state.

As of this posting, they have roughly 27 million publications to search through. It appears that Microsoft Academic Search is a search engine geared specifically towards searching through academic publications. It appears to offer similar functionality to the Google Scholar, but it's also broken down into various categories.


Here is the URL to the new service: http://academic.research.microsoft.com.

Should I get a Stylus for my iPad or tablet?

Sometimes your finger is too large for doing any type of fine detail input. In those instances, a stylus is the best route to go. Targus makes a very affordable stylus.

Should you get one? It all depends upon whether or not you feel your hand isn't giving you the precision that you would like when working with your tablet. There are certain scenarios and apps that are better suited towards the usage of a stylus. Hand writing or note taking could make such an accessory essential.

A stylus is also great for creative apps like Sketchbook Express for the iPad. Sketchbook Express is a great program for doing illustrations. It has alot of functionality and the free version is pretty powerful, but there is also a pay version that includes additional features.

Blended Learning Toolkit

The University of Central Florida, along with a consortium of other schools, has just recently unveiled a toolkit for helping faculty members and instructional technologists to develop online courses.
The toolkit focuses specifically on the area of blended courses, or courses that have both face-to-face and online components.

The best part about it . . . it's absolutely free to use. They posted it using a creative commons license.

The High Ed Tech Hub!

Is the iPad 2 the Answer to an Academic Worthy Tablet?

The new iPad definitely has some nifty new features that fit well into a classroom environment, but will it chance education and the way that teachers deliver content as a whole? That still remains to be seen. Without a doubt, Apple is doing an excellent job of marketing the tool to educators. They apparently have also been listening to some of the comments made by those some educators by resolving some of their initial concerns about the product.

In the initial release of the iPad, there was a pretty large missing feature that they’ve now addressed with the latest release due out at the end of the week. The feature that was originally left out from the original iPad was the ability to present an app on anything besides the iPad screen itself. Previously, there were only a small handful of apps that could be used to do such a thing, but now an adapter will be available for purchase that will allow an individual to present whatever is being shown on the iPad screen to a projector or a large LCD screen. This is a huge plus for educators interested in using the iPad to present to their students.

Apple has also taken the effort to make sure that there is an educational presence on their website for the iPad. These are all big positives for educators interested in using a tablet device for their classroom, but there are also some pitfalls to look out for before jumping into purchasing the devices for usage in a classroom.

Simply purchasing an iPad will not automatically change your classroom environment. There are some things to consider before making the investment. The first thing to look out for before purchasing iPads for usage in a specific course is to make sure that they can be utilized for the course. There are a large variety of apps available for educational usage, but it is important to check to see if there is one available for the discipline that you would need it for. Let’s face it. Some disciplines have more available apps simply because they naturally fit better into that type of device or that type of presentation format.

Blackboard has also made a serious investment in developing apps to address mobile learning. They have apps that institutions can use to leverage their campus’s learning management system to mobile devices. These apps can be custom tailored to provide additional added benefits like institutional news or campus map information.

Does this effectively change and transform a classroom? It will provide a new and interesting way for students to interact with some of the course components. The one thing it will not do is change the way in which an educator teaches. They will still need to be a talented and gifted teacher. The iPad will not “magically” turn them into an amazing teacher.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for these devices.