Apple to reinvent the textbook with interactive iBooks 2 for iPad

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  • Reply 81 of 117
    ssquirrelssquirrel Posts: 1,196member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    Or they could create an app for that, for that whole universe even. It could hold all the content from all the books, have character builders, map builders perhaps. If you were 'the Master' you could create the campaign and it would be recorded as people make their moves so if you had to cut short you could pick up where you left off and even review the old stuff. You could connect in folks that might not be in the room via some kind of networking system. Etc.



    Exported interaction with these ibooks would be more of the 'make notes etc and be able to export them as an outline, study sheet' type stuff



    They could, but right now the app is web based and built using Silverlight, which means it is incompatible w/the whole iOS universe. I want WotC to make sure their next round of products and support doesn't ignore that. Yes, I email them about this topic
  • Reply 82 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post




    Haven't read any of the posts here...



    But the news in the SF Bay Area is reporting that UC is considering a tuition-paid education on all UC campuses. In exchange, the student would agree to pay 5% of his annual income for 20 years...



    Thoughts?







    On the plus side, a student can get a high quality education and go into a field that doesn't have a high salary rate (social services, education, new lawyers working as public defenders) without crushing debt. On the other hand, engineering and finance students will be supplementing barristas with medieval folk singing degrees.
  • Reply 83 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Thorntondw View Post


    More than anything Apple has done to date, this will change the world.



    Here's one who understands!



    Just as the iPad "gets out of the way" from in-between you and your stuff...



    iPad/iBooks now "gets out of the way" from in-between you and your knowledge (learning capability).

  • Reply 84 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    Evolution is a theory, intelligent design is a faith. There is a massive difference here because one can't be disconnected from the teaching of religion. It isn't so much that many want evolution to be taught in schools it is the issue of using public schools as a state sponsored forum to teach a religious view point that they object to. It is all about trying to keep our crumbling Constitution intact.



    I just wish they would teach exactly what constitutes a scientific theory. It's not just a hunch or a guess. In fact, high school (hell, grade school) sciences classes should teach the scientific process and how it works instead of a lot of the actual science they teach.



    Once kids have to proper tools and know how to use them, you can teach any thing you want as far as I'm concerned.
  • Reply 85 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    A lot of this sounds like what I've been reading is in the new EPUB 3 standard. So really this is just ibooks updated to support that. But most teachers etc have no clue what EPUB 3 is or that there is a standard so rather than go into that more technical focus they looked at what you can do with this new version of ibooks. Typical Apple announcement protocol, they never to rarely look at the specs but rather what you can do with it in a practical sense.



    Now it needs the tools to help make these things. My mother is a PhD in Art/Art and Architectural History and her AAH dissertation is one of her textbooks in her senior seminar. She has been saying for months that she wants to ebook the text (which she expanded to about 800 pages with photos etc). We tried it with the Pages template and it was rather gross looking. And she doesn't really do tech to do it all by hand and I'm too tied up with my own work. Something as simple as Pages or iWeb but with better coding would be great for her. And if she could add photos, video etc it would be a killer book. She already does Keynotes of the content for the students to download off her site but it would be so much easier if it was just in the book.



    And if my mother could find a use for this I'm sure other subjects like the sciences totally could. Heck I'm already thinking about Film Studies books. Imagine you are reading about a particular cinematography technique and you can watch a sample video of it. Or talking about a certain film maker and you can see clips of key film moments. Right there in the book.



    How about all those tutorials by Ripple Training, Larry Jordan, 2ReelGuys...



    ... An eBook telling the story of teaching story telling...



    Now, not only will pilots use iPads to replace their flight bags...



    But airplane maintenance people will use iPads/iBooks containing always-up-to-date, interactive reference/maintenance manuals...



    And, that's just for starters...



  • Reply 86 of 117
    steven n.steven n. Posts: 1,229member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ExceptionHandler View Post


    Observability, testability, repeatability, and falsifiability are the hallmarks of the scientific method. I say leave evolution/millions of years out of the books and let kids figure it out on their own... in the end it would make them better problem solvers - force them to figure out what is true instead of just telling them what is true.



    So, do you leave out any discussion of the Big Bang and let them do their own glass spectrographs and studies on Type 1A Supernova to determine the relationship between brightness/decay and distance. Of course, you need to let them first discover the wave properties of light and the concept of absorption spectrums not to mention coming up with the periodic table of elements.



    Heck, why not have your kids invent their own numbering system and figure out how to do math. Why even teach them Arabic numbers? Just see what they come up with.



    Do you solve those realy simple problems in the K-12 timeframe?
  • Reply 87 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by vXhanz View Post




    I just wish this wasn't targeted towards K-12... I could have used some serious relief in my college classes from the stagnant powerpoint lessons or even the cost of text books alone.



    The advantage of targeting K-12 just now is that boards of education make large purchases of textbooks--or their e-equivalents, and if they buy in to this, large hardware purchases, too. College and university markets are different. It's likely that for many courses texts are the choice of individual instructors. (Although in the case of large intro courses in large schools, departments make a single choice for perhaps 500 students at a time.)



    But the software that can build a compelling HS Bio or Chem text--or Math text--Can build any text or ancillary book I can imagine--and I've been a college teacher for close to 40 years.



    So--aim at K-12 to make a big splash, and sell to the whole education enterprise, right through grad and professional school.
  • Reply 88 of 117
    steven n.steven n. Posts: 1,229member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ExceptionHandler View Post


    I dunno... the age of the earth (or anything really before written record of stuff) seems to be a moving target. WIth all the articles Ive read the age keeps being pushed further and further back. Before long they'll have the age of the earth as being in the order of quadrillions of years. In the end there is really no way of knowing as long as we rely on "educated guesses"/guesstimation. So if it MUST be included, then at least state that this is a "best guess" made by only some scientists instead of actual fact.



    That is why you should stop reading books like "Of Panda and People". When I was a kid (35+ years back or so), the age of the Earth was estimated to be between 3.5 and 5.5 billion years old. When I was in high school, that figure was narrowed to between 4-5 billion. Now, with better instrumentation and tons and tons more data, that value is 4.54 billion +/- 1.5% at a 95% confidence.



    All that has happened in the past 50 years is the targeted age and confidence has gotten more precise and more refined.



    It is posts like yours that demonstrate the sad state of science education in the US.
  • Reply 89 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DamenS View Post


    I just assumed it was senility, but that was giving the "benefit of doubt" so I may have been wrong.



    This should help you
  • Reply 90 of 117
    ssquirrelssquirrel Posts: 1,196member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Conrail View Post


    I just wish they would teach exactly what constitutes a scientific theory. It's not just a hunch or a guess. In fact, high school (hell, grade school) sciences classes should teach the scientific process and how it works instead of a lot of the actual science they teach.



    I'm 35 and when I was in school they did teach the scientific method. Far as I know, they still do. It's part of science class
  • Reply 91 of 117
    steven n.steven n. Posts: 1,229member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stelligent View Post


    I mostly agree. But when it comes to the pay of teachers, I have a serious problem with the perception that's out there. On the surface, teachers do not get paid a lot. Teachers do not live in mansions - true enough. But teachers do ok. If they are careful with saving money, they can afford a mortgage. Furthermore, they have the whole frigging summer off. They have a good pension plan. And they can obtain tenure without much difficulty! I will go along with paying teachers more if they are willing to give up on some of these securities.



    100% agree. I grew up as a child of an educator and understand first hand. One thing I always had trouble with is how difficult it is to get rid of a bad instructor. And there are lots of them (lots of bad parents out there as well). But one truth is always there. Talent follows the challenge with awarded compensation.
  • Reply 92 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hodar View Post


    I wonder what they will add in iBooks 2?



    As an engineer - what I would have liked to have would be an embedded scientific graphing calculator, so I could work through the examples the book gave, on my own. This would come in handy not only in technical books (Physics, Statics, Dynamics, Differential Equations, Calculus, Real/Imaginary and Matrix mathematics), but also for quick sanity checks for classes like Economics.



    Being able to quickly open a window and plug in the formulas and run a couple examples would have been a great learning tool.



    I'm excited to see what Apple is adding to the mix.



    As a Mechanical Engineer why on Earth would you be plugging in your formulas first when you should be reducing your equations down to their simplest form of knowns and uknowns well before you pass in constants for the variables being represented?



    If you're looking for a symbolic equation solver and thus not actually solving it yourself you can always by Mathematica.



    Apple's not going to provide an HP 28S/48S/TI-83S style calculating solution and knife out the traditional handheld calculator providers. They don't provide one for OS X.



    No operating system provides one, out of the box to match those products.



    Besides, when you're actually taking large data sets for Numerical Analysis then your matrix computations go into a much larger product ala Octave, Matlab, etc.



    I'd rather see efforts going into extending support for backends into the Publishing tool or an open spec to make extensions in XeTeX/XeLaTeX come about so creating the books will be an enjoyable process.
  • Reply 93 of 117
    Apple has democratised the production of textbooks. Now anyone can produce a text book - including teachers, students and anyone else and put it the iBook store.



    Schools can write their own text books. Students and teachers can collaborate.



    No different than developers writing Apps for the App Store.



    Result? Massive sales of the only tablet that matters - the iPad.



    Schools will see this and take it up in their thousands.



    Absolute genius move by Apple.
  • Reply 94 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonyhrx View Post


    Apple has democratised the production of textbooks. Now anyone can produce a text book - including teachers, students and anyone else and put it the iBook store.



    Schools can write their own text books. Students and teachers can collaborate.




    I can't be the only one that sees this as troubling. Where's the integrity? Is a creationist going to ban evolution in science books? Anyone produce textbooks?...Doesn't Wikipedia already exist?



    I'm not too worried, the school district here can barely afford to pay their teachers' salaries and pensions (they're still on strike actually) I doubt they intend or can afford buying up iPads anyway.
  • Reply 95 of 117
    iDVD did not change the movie business, similarly iBook author will not dramatically change the textbook business. It's about content and quality of that content...
  • Reply 96 of 117
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by applestockholder View Post


    iDVD did not change the movie business, similarly iBook author will not dramatically change the textbook business. It's about content and quality of that content...



    Worst... analogy... EVER!



    Apple didn't introduce a new medium with iDVD. It's in the name. They were using the same medium as other media being burned to DVD. On top of that, iDVD is a consumer product, not one for professionals. It wasn't made to change the movie industry as a whole or even the very small part that is the home viewings of movies at home.



    What you need to look at is the what Apple is doing with the device and distribution. This is more akin to iTunes and App Store than some consumer app that is part of iLife that comes with every new Mac and is updated periodically.
  • Reply 97 of 117
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DamenS View Post


    Jesus - I can tell Americans struggle to speak ... seriously the phrase "Falling into disrepair" is now being distorted into "Falling in to disappear" ?? Surely this is a step too far towards stupidity or towards mishearing a well-known phrase in one's youth and then repeating the mistake ad nauseum until all are contamonated... a step even the US is unwilling to take ?? You are already struggling with English - why not take this further step I guess ... may these repeated mistakes not go "nucular" !



    The terrible irony is this rampant stupidity and rampant abuse of the English language occurs in a post about education ... EDUCATION, of all things. Good Grief !!



    Oh, the irony. Yep!
  • Reply 98 of 117
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,056member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by applestockholder View Post


    iDVD did not change the movie business, similarly iBook author will not dramatically change the textbook business. It's about content and quality of that content...



    Hear hear. OK, I've been branded a heretic; so be it. While there is a place for technology in education, replacing books is not it. There was a comment earlier about Apple perhaps policing the content, I'm not sure how that would work, or if it is possible or appropriate.



    The iPad is an amazing device. I got one on launch day and love it. But...it is not a substitute for a textbook. There is value in peer review. Yes, that system needs help. Yes, book publishers have other options. And yes, consumers getting more options is a good thing. But when you're a K-12 teacher making $25k/yr, and you have 40 students with iPads (and who is going to pay for those iPads BTW?) and one malfunctions, who's going to fix it so we can do today's lesson? With a stack of books in the corner, you toss one to the kid and move on.



    Content content content. The notes idea is fine - until you try to make it work. With a paper book and a pencil in hand, you have instant learning, not margin collections. In the instant you lose trying to work the technology, the insights that are part of learning are lost. The psychology of learning is very important here. I am skeptical this is a real improvement.



    We will see how this plays out. I'm in the meh phase.



    Yes, I'm in Seattle. No, I have no connection to the folks in Redmond. I'm an exclusive Apple consumer.



    And thanks to everyone for making me feel welcome and valued. And yes, this is all just my opinion. It is worth what you paid for it.
  • Reply 99 of 117
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,100member
    As a Californian I can not help but feel emotions of dichotomy: it saddens me to see such a large disconnect between our public schools systems as some of the lowest rated in the country (and falling more every year- including the UC system) and the private entities like Apple that are advancing society through innovation and commitment to education. Will our public school systems be able to utilize such awesome technologies when public education is lower than prisons on the budget?
  • Reply 100 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz View Post


    They might make them, but good luck getting Apple to sell them.



    If my school district were to propose a large capital expenditure to buy iPads which would force them to buy all textbooks from a single vendor, Apple, I would go to the meetings and object.



    It would be crazy for any school district to lock themselves into buying only Apple-approved texts. Apple has proven that the software it vends through its online stores is subject to secret and idiosyncratic approval mechanisms.



    Using iPads doesn't force a school to only use the iPad. If a school moves 60%, 70%, etc., of its texts to iBooks but continues to use print editions for the remaining texts, it may still be worth the investment. A lot of teachers already make up their own loose-leaf supplements to the texts that they use, so I suspect many of those teachers will publish an iBooks supplement in addition to whatever print or iBooks text they use for their classes.



    The big barrier will be the iPad itself; school systems are going to have to decide whether to buy iPads, require parents to pay an iPad fee, require parents to buy an iPad, etc. I suspect private school and small, suburban public school systems will move much faster toward adoption than bigger, urban school systems that are more resource-strapped and have a much larger one-time investment to make.
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