Apple to reinvent the textbook with interactive iBooks 2 for iPad

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  • Reply 101 of 117
    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...



    Call off the panic attack, Chuckles. "Falling into disappear" is, I'll happily wager, the result of a mistyping of "disrepair" that was changed to "disappear" by automated spelling correction, followed by a failure to catch the error in proofreading. That's much more plausible than some tragic chain of miseducated Neanderthals passing along the (highly) unlikely expression "falling into disappear".



    Unless you think proofreading errors don't happen, in which case "contamonation" is indeed the explanation.
  • Reply 102 of 117
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member
    If it aint broke, dont fix it.



    Laptops in the classroom itself is a distraction.



    This is going to be even more of a distraction.



    Plenty of technology proponents love to boast about technology helping students learn more interactively.



    I'd say BS.



    It only introduces more distraction, a higher learning curve and more resources spent on the technology than the actual learning itself.



    Instead of wasting money on useless technology, hire better qualified and more passionate teachers in the class rooms.



    Teachers make the kids learn better, not technology.



    Kids before the day of computers learned just as easily and effortlessly as kids in modern times.



    What is the purpose of introducing ever more distracting technology into the hands of today's young ones?



    Standardized test scores already show that kids nowadays are WORSE off than kids from 40 years ago.



    Since when did higher education, or education system in general, became the peons of the corporate world?
  • Reply 103 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    If it aint broke, dont fix it.



    It's completely broken.



    Quote:

    This is going to be even more of a distraction.



    Not when they don't have Internet access until the teacher allows it.



    Quote:

    Instead of wasting money on useless technology, hire better qualified and more passionate teachers in the class rooms.



    You can't pay them to be better qualified. You can't teach passion.



    Quote:

    Teachers make the kids learn better, not technology.



    So how do you plan on making the teachers learn better?



    Quote:

    Standardized test scores already show that kids nowadays are WORSE off than kids from 40 years ago.



    And you think this implies what?
  • Reply 104 of 117
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    It's completely broken.



    Not when they don't have Internet access until the teacher allows it.



    You can't pay them to be better qualified. You can't teach passion.



    So how do you plan on making the teachers learn better?



    And you think this implies what?



    First off, stop thinking like a shareholder and start thinking like a responsible adult who looks out for the future of this country.



    Second, all Apple is trying to do is switch oligopoly business model of the publishers into a monopolistic business model with it being the sole driver. That would make the business even worse than it already is. (But for shareholders like you , you wouldn't give a damn).



    Third, passion in learning CAN be instilled in kids. Develop new and "fun" ways of teaching the usually "boring" materials. Make kids apply the things that they learned to every day lives.



    Fourth, are you going to shut off the internet access for grown up college aged students?

    Good luck with that one when they are the ones paying the tuition.



    Fifth, decrease in standardized tests, at least partially, indicates that more use of technology in the field of education has distracted many of these kids from achieving their best. Teaching styles and number of teachers have not changed over the years. Kids still attend the same amount of hours in school as kids from the past. The same teacher unions still exist today. That leaves money and technology as the only variables left that has actually changed.



    Lastly, when 60% of the math and science college majors in the US are from foreign countries, that tells you something about the serious competitive problem that the US has.



    Sooner or later, the majority of the people running the high tech businesses in this country will be foreigners. If not, many of the future companies wont even be based in the US. Thus, later the US's competitive edge will falter.
  • Reply 105 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    (But for shareholders like you , you wouldn't give a damn).



    Zero shares of stock in any company.



    Quote:

    Third, passion in learning CAN be instilled in kids. Develop new and "fun" ways of teaching the usually "boring" materials. Make kids apply the things that they learned to every day lives.



    Hmm. I wonder if there's any way we could spice up boring paper textbo?OH WAIT.



    Quote:

    Fourth, are you going to shut off the internet access for grown up college aged students?



    Uh, then they're old enough to be intelligent enough to know how to manage their time and pay attention.



    Quote:

    Good luck with that one when they are the ones paying the tuition.



    They want to waste their money and fail their tests, that's fine with me.
  • Reply 106 of 117
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    First off, stop thinking like a shareholder and start thinking like a responsible adult who looks out for the future of this country.



    Second, all Apple is trying to do is switch oligopoly business model of the publishers into a monopolistic business model with it being the sole driver. That would make the business even worse than it already is. (But for shareholders like you , you wouldn't give a damn).



    Third, passion in learning CAN be instilled in kids. Develop new and "fun" ways of teaching the usually "boring" materials. Make kids apply the things that they learned to every day lives.



    Fourth, are you going to shut off the internet access for grown up college aged students?

    Good luck with that one when they are the ones paying the tuition.



    Fifth, decrease in standardized tests, at least partially, indicates that more use of technology in the field of education has distracted many of these kids from achieving their best. Teaching styles and number of teachers have not changed over the years. Kids still attend the same amount of hours in school as kids from the past. The same teacher unions still exist today. That leaves money and technology as the only variables left that has actually changed.



    Lastly, when 60% of the math and science college majors in the US are from foreign countries, that tells you something about the serious competitive problem that the US has.



    Sooner or later, the majority of the people running the high tech businesses in this country will be foreigners. If not, many of the future companies wont even be based in the US. Thus, later the US's competitive edge will falter.



    Your post is fraking nuts! I suppose we should just go with 16th century tech with the Amish because technological progress is making people less knowledgable.
  • Reply 107 of 117
    This is a fine summary of what was essentially a press release, but is summarizing a press release journalism? Aside from the fact that corporations love few things as much as people repeating their hype for free and would therefore never use the world, how is this different from plagiarism?



    Once upon a time it wasn't possible for every interested individual to access the original source of some bit of information, but that's frequently no longer true. What's the point of all this repetition, sans analysis, sans contrasting arguments, sans any added content at all?



    Content aggregation is nothing more than data flow as echo chamber. It's the cybernetic equivalent of a planet-wide game of "Chinese whispers," without the laughter.
  • Reply 108 of 117
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Your post is fraking nuts! I suppose we should just go with 16th century tech with the Amish because technological progress is making people less knowledgable.



    If this was the initiative of a different technology company, Galbi would be jizzing his pants.
  • Reply 109 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    Indeed. I see major problems with content ahead.



    Apple will no doubt start with the premise that they won't censor or edit content, but what if I want to make a sex education book available in the USA with "interactive elements?" what if I want to publish a Women's rights textbook in iBooks and make it available in United Arab Emirates?



    Are people going to be allowed to publish anything at all and call it a textbook? They should be, but I don't see it happening. The US is one of the most anal, religious countries on earth. There are literally tons of topics (besides the obvious), that would be intolerable to that audience.



    Who's going to check the facts on all this stuff?



    Come on man. Anyone can publish pretty nice looking books already with services like Lulu and a decent graphic designer.



    It's the UNIVERSITIES and SCHOOL BOARDS and MAJOR TEXTBOOK PUBLISHERS that set the curriculum and decide what textbooks are going to be read. That's not going to change.



    I think this is absolutely amazing. I remember being in university back in the early 1990s and lugging a hockey bag's weight worth of books that cost a fortune. And NONE of them would play full screen videos on demand! It's truly amazing we are even talking about this.



    Textsbooks are a huge business and I think just like smartphones, Apple is going to become a major player here as well.
  • Reply 110 of 117
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    My eyes are in tears and my jaw is on the floor. I cannot even begin to tell you how profund this is in general and specifically in relation to what I want to do with the iPad this year.



    This is... my God, I can't even... begin
  • Reply 111 of 117
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    BTW Terry McGraw was a ****** (insert appropriate expletive) for leaking the iPad launch but at the end of the day McGraw Hill is just too massive in education to not be involved.
  • Reply 112 of 117
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Steve was right... when the dots connect... Boom! But you can't connect the dots going forward (not often, anyway), you can only connect them looking back. I'm just floored. It will take a few days or weeks to digest this. Thank goodness I didn't watch this last night I wouldn't have been able to sleep.
  • Reply 113 of 117
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tyler82 View Post


    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?



    That has always been the American dilemma. You can soar as high as you can dream, but you can also crash as low as the sea.



    BTW Phil was immensely reserved compared to previous presentations... Do you think he might be on his way out or assigned to a different role (probably the latter?) A bit strange, I'm sure we'll see what happens in due time.
  • Reply 114 of 117
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member
    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.



    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.



    Yeah, because making money is more important than giving out quality information.



    In the real textbook world, there is such a thing called "peer review" system.



    Open up any college textbook, turn to the first couple of pages in the book. You will see a whole slew of names with their associated school affiliations on it.
  • Reply 115 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    That has always been the American dilemma. You can soar as high as you can dream, but you can also crash as low as the sea.



    BTW Phil was immensely reserved compared to previous presentations... Do you think he might be on his way out or assigned to a different role (probably the latter?) A bit strange, I'm sure we'll see what happens in due time.



    I disagree. This is pretty much Phil Schiller's style. He also sounds like he has reciting a rehearsed speech written by someone else. Passion seems to emerge in some words, and then disappears again. Rosner did a better job.
  • Reply 116 of 117
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    Yeah, because making money is more important than giving out quality information.



    In the real textbook world, there is such a thing called "peer review" system.



    Open up any college textbook, turn to the first couple of pages in the book. You will see a whole slew of names with their associated school affiliations on it.



    IOW, Galbi thinks that digitally distinuted textbooks can't be of huh quality or peer reviewed. You are awesome¡
  • Reply 117 of 117
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eightzero View Post


    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.



    Apologies for accusing you of being a Microsoft mouthpiece. But now I have to find another explanation for your first post, shockingly negative on what I and others thought was a breakthrough announcement on Apple's constructive use of technology. I also confess that the two words I hate to see here the most are "underwhelmed" and "meh," both of which you've managed to use.



    To me these always bespeak a lack of vision and imagination on the part of the user. I started seeing these two words when the iPad was originally announced. I was so infuriated be the dumbness (as in numbness, insensitivity) of these meh-ists that I was provoked to eventually join AI to make myself feel better by responding. I've come to believe that meh-ism is a corollary to narcissism, but the particular kind of narcissism created by powerful personal gadgetry. A generation of twitchy gamers have arisen who can't comprehend anything elegant or subtle, can't envision how others might use or enjoy something as unassuming as the iPad seemed to be at first -- just a big iPod touch, after all.



    So does this make any sense to you? Apple has just revolutionized book production. We had rain post an equally negative response in another thread, and he is in Vancouver. Someone suggested he had water on the brain. Is there an affect disorder in the Pacific Northwest that makes people hostile to great new things happening?
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