iBooks replace traditional textbooks

Tracie Momie
The Signal
Learning in the digital age is undergoing a revolution.  Technology has made it possible to gain access to a vast selection of content almost instantaneously and through a variety of mediums.

Many students rely heavily on smartphones, laptops, tablets and e-readers, yet when they enter the classroom, they are disconnected both literally and figuratively.

This burgeoning dependency on electronic devices is prompting a revamp of how information is delivered to students.

On Jan. 19 Apple held a conference at New York’s Guggenheim Museum to unveil its latest educational application.  Apple’s iBooks 2 app for iPad allows students to purchase textbooks and download them directly to their iPad.

The app itself is free and delivery is immediate. The books are interactive, searchable, durable and portable. Apple has more than 20,000 learning apps available through its App Store.

Michael Lee, assistant professor of communication and digital media studies, who is teaching a mobile apps course at UHCL on the Apple platform, believes this technology is amazing but feels there should be some concerns with using apps as educational tools, especially for younger children who are often left unsupervised on electronic devices.

“I believe the educational outcome depends on human interaction,” Lee said.  “Parents need to work with their children when they are using apps and ask questions because this will help your child learn, not only visually but also verbally.  It stimulates their minds when you ask them questions about the choices they made when doing homework or playing a game.”

Although Apple is developing new tools to help digitize education, the concept of digital delivery is not something exclusive to Apple.

Barnes and Noble operate more than 630 college campus bookstores across the nation, including the bookstore at UHCL, and the bookstores are also committed to furthering digital content delivery.

“As students have a variety of learning styles, we have found that having as many formats and cost-saving options as possible are critical,” said Brent Wells, UHCL bookstore manager.  “So while digital sales and acceptance will continue to grow, we will continue to offer multiple choices, such as new, used, print rental and digital rental to our students.”

In 2010, Barnes and Noble launched NOOK Study, a free downloadable software application that provides students an e-textbook experience with access to more than 2.5 million titles. Today e-textbooks represent a small percentage of student purchases but Barnes and Noble has seen these purchases grow over the past year.

E-textbooks can be updated daily, weekly or monthly via the Internet, ensuring the book is always up to date.  This is possible through cloud computing.  The concept of cloud computing, or “clouding,” allows users to share resources, so that the applications are not dependent on a particular computer or server configuration.

E-textbook delivery is spanning the globe and many countries are adopting this delivery exclusively.  South Korea’s Education Ministry has announced plans to get rid of traditional textbooks and replace them with digital versions.  The project would allow students to read their materials on a variety of electronic devices including smartphones, tablets, PCs and Internet-connected smart televisions.

Primary schools will be first, with their educational materials digitized by 2014, followed by secondary and high schools in 2015.  However, there is no mention if this project will also be rolled out to college students.

Here in America, e-textbook delivery is also becoming a part of the curriculum.  McAllen ISD, in McAllen, Texas is one of the largest school districts in the country rolling out e-textbook delivery through its TLC3 Program.  The program, which stands for Transforming Learning in the Classroom, Campus and Community, currently has 6,000 students with access to iPad and iTouch devices.  The district hopes all students will have devices by January 2013.

McAllen ISD has 25,000 students; 91 percent are Hispanic, 65 percent are at risk and 67 percent are economically disadvantaged.   The district knew it had to do something to transform education and considered technology as an option. However, instead of adding more computers to classroom McAllen ISD wanted to take it a step further.

“We wanted to level the playing field to make sure our children had access to this kind of technology,” said Norma Zamora-Guerra, community information director for McAllen ISD.

The district did its homework and was able to justify the upfront cost of the devices by not only repurposing funds set aside for computers but also through special funding.

“We save on calculators and other supplies by using iPads, which have all these tools built in,” Zamora-Guerra said. “All these extra tools and apps make the experience with iPads so rewarding because teachers can witness students make the connection to what they are learning.  It’s what teachers live for.”