#etextbooks

[diaryofanaivegirl]

october 4, 2019

today was all about note-taking, a much needed break from just constantly reading or studying! i feel so uneducated because the amount of communicable diseases children can contract and their increased risk just breaks my heart! :(( i’m truly thankful for my parents for raising me and allowing me to grow into a healthy person. to all the adults or anyone able to care for another little being, pay attention and be extra caring when working with children. let’s give them the chance to grow up healthy and explore the world around them! 😊

[bme-girl]

Average Sunday

[carmelokym]

Becoming Paperless: A Must for Schools to Use Electronic Textbooks

Technology, specifically digital technology, has come so far. According to Cheprasov (2016), the needs of human life have become more complex and hard-to-accomplish using manual methods as time passed by; which could be one of the main reasons leading to the globe’s massive investment in the advancement of technology. Currently, utmost everyone can agree on how huge its role in society has become. From being relevant in communicative and business aspects, it’s also gained a role in education Aleen (2019); proving how much control technology has gained in basic societal processes. Though, focusing on one of its many contributions in learning; digital technology, in particular, has paved the way for the creation of electronic textbooks or e-textbooks which eliminate the need for paper. Considering an opportunity for schools to be eco-friendly; one could wonder, why aren’t they already using them? Though the digitalization of every part of learning isn’t implied, schools should go paperless and use electronic textbooks.

The article, “Can Electronic Textbooks be Part of K-12 Education?: Challenges, Technological Solutions, and Open Issues”, concludes how e-textbooks are much cheaper to purchase, as expensive costs for paper and printing are eliminated (Lee, Messom, & Yau, 2013). This proves how e-textbooks, firstly, gain a huge benefit as they offer eco-friendly learning whilst letting institutions save more money. As e-textbooks saving paper isn’t enough of a reason to make a switch, another key factor to consider would be their capability to reach more students. According to the article, “5 Reasons Schools Should Go Paperless”, e-textbooks allow students to easily access the needed learning resources with everything being accessible online and offline as they are downloadable (Breed, 2019). This is already proven useful, especially in situations like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that’s making the accessibility of printed materials difficult; as to why online learning was the next best option. It can be seen in online learning, how students and teachers have adapted to the use of digital learning resources, which exhibit the same concept as electronic textbooks. The article, “Textbooks Vs. Techbooks: Effectiveness of Digital Textbooks on Elementary Student Motivation for Learning”; on the other hand, proves with a testing process, how students using e-textbooks improved their involvement and learning during class (Oman, 2013). This article’s conclusion implies another considerable factor, which is how electronic textbooks increase student engagement in learning. Though, considering the other end of the stick, e-textbooks also offer some cons. As e-textbooks make use of electronics, unlike the printed ones, students could be more prone to eyestrains and fatigue as they’re required to continuously be exposed to the varying lighting of their electronics. Moreover, as they offer freedom for learners to scroll through the internet, most also find themselves getting more distracted whilst utilizing e-textbooks, unlike if compared to printed textbooks wherein students are exposed to fewer distractions.

Considering both sides of using electronic textbooks with the main aim of going paperless; identified were how electronic textbooks not only aid in an eco-friendly movement, but they also lead to increased savings for an institution, easier accessibility of students to their resources, and increased student engagement in learning. However, for the use of electronic textbooks to be beneficial for both sides; the health, willingness, and patience of the students need to be given huge consideration to make both ends meet. Hence, although using e-textbooks offers cons that need to be taken into consideration, the benefits point out how going paperless and using electronic textbooks instead of print textbooks prove to be advantageous in more ways than one.

Photo credit:

https://thesunflower.com/8615/news/campus/electronic-textbooks-make-their-presence-on-campus/#

Works Cited

Aleen, M. (2019, November 7). Technological Influence on Society. Retrieved from bctv.org: https://www.bctv.org/2019/11/07/technological-influence-on-society/#:~:text=Technology%20affects%20the%20way%20individuals,and%20it%20impacts%20daily%20lives.

Breed, C. (2019, October 31). 5 Reasons Schools Should Go Paperless. Retrieved from Kami: https://blog.kamiapp.com/5-reasons-schools-should-go-paperless/

Cheprasov, A. (2016, February 18). Why Technology Is Created & Revised. Retrieved from Study.com: study.com/academy/lesson/why-technology-is-created-revised.html

Lee, H. J., Messom, C., & Yau, K.-L. A. (2013, January). Can Electronic Textbooks be Part of K-12 Education?: Challenges, Technological Solutions and Open Issues. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 12(1). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329016761_CAN_AN_ELECTRONIC_TEXTBOOKS_BE_PART_OF_K-12_EDUCATION_CHALLENGES_TECHNOLOGICAL_SOLUTIONS_AND_OPEN_ISSUES

Oman, A. (2013). Textbooks Vs. Techbooks: Effectiveness of Digital Textbooks on Elementary Student Motivation for Learning. Retrieved from https://commons.nmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1515&context=theses

[morpheme-publishing]

OneNote In Schooling: Reworking Studying By Way Of Know-how & ETextbooks

See how OneNote has helped Cary Academy, a grades 6-12 faculty in North Carolina,

See how OneNote has helped Cary Academy, a grades 6-12 faculty in North Carolina, take studying to the following degree by facilitating collaboration between lecturers and college students and the usage of digital studying belongings. Academics write their very own textbooks inside OneNote and share with their college students, saving mother and father cash and their college students from heavy backpacks!

[morpheme-publishing]

An exclusive survey undertaken by Harris Interactive shows that Pearson’s pursuit of a digital-first textbook strategy may face challenges with UK students.

Pearson, the world’s largest education publisher, recently announced plans to phase out physical textbooks in the US, instead moving into a "digital-first" model with e-textbooks as its focus. Although this is currently announced for the US only, Pearson also confirmed that the model may be rolled out to other markets, including the UK. Harris Interactive conducted a survey in the UK to gauge responses to this potential move.

The decision to phase out printed textbooks is divisive: 39% expect this to negatively impact students. Perhaps surprisingly, students are more likely to see this move as negative (44%) than parents (39%), suggesting we have not yet truly reached a generation ready to go "digital-first". This hesitation reflects reading habits: on average, parents, students and others access physical books more regularly than e-books. This is similar for both education e-textbooks and books for pleasure. If Pearson does roll out its plan to phase out textbooks in the UK, it will be forcing a change in behaviour, rather than reflecting demand.

Printed textbooks are still seen as having key advantages over e-textbooks:

Printed books are considered more reliable (both in terms of giving authoritative content and not crashing).

Printed books have tangible/interactive benefits: being easier to annotate, bookmark and navigate.

Printed books are felt to encourage deeper reading than e-textbooks.

However, the key barrier Pearson is likely to face is physical comfort: 47% feel less comfortable reading digital books than printed books. To overcome this barrier, Pearson (and other e-textbook providers) needs to communicate the advantages of e-books. Eighty-one per cent expect them to be cheaper than print (a key selling point in Pearson’s digital transition), and they are also considered more environmentally friendly, more practical to carry and more readily updated (tackling the idea that print is more authoritative). There is also strong agreement that digital textbooks are better at encouraging shared engagement, a key pillar of Pearson’s move.

Crucially, this is a market where there is potential for publishers to capitalise: direct purchase from a publisher’s website is the third-most common method of accessing e-books (after Amazon and Google Play). Thirty-four per cent of people who access educational e-textbooks do so via publishers’ websites. By phasing out physical textbooks and directly selling e-textbooks to students and parents, Pearson has a real opportunity to become an even stronger player in the e-textbook market.

Laurie Eaves is research manager at Harris Interactive, a full-service, digital consultative custom market research agency.

In response to the research, Pearson said: "We disagree with the premise of this research and the conclusions it reaches. We are shifting all our active US higher education titles to a digital first model, however this does not mean print is going away. We will continue to make printed textbooks for as long as students and teachers need them and students who want a print textbook will be able to rent one from us. The benefits of a digital first model, with frequent releases of content, features and updates no longer tied to an edition cycle, gives students personalised learning experiences much faster and much more efficiently, with a fantastic user experience and better learning outcomes, whilst tackling affordability concerns."

[morpheme-publishing]

"The $300 textbook is dead," says the CEO of textbook maker Pearson

On the latest Recode Decode, John Fallon explains why the education company is pivoting to digital textbooks.

“There’s a famous phrase: The first step in solving a problem is recognizing you’ve got one,” says Pearson CEO John Fallon. And for education company Pearson, the problem is also one of its key products: the textbook.

Since the 1970s, the business model for textbook makers has been to sell very expensive books to students, updating them every few years with new material to keep students paying top dollar. But online textbook rental services from companies like Chegg and Amazon have made it much easier to pay much less, and as a result Pearson’s revenues have fallen from $2 billion in 2013 to $1.3 billion today, Fallon said on the latest episode of Recode Decode With Kara Swisher.

So instead of selling giant hardcover textbooks like Calculus: Early Transcendentals (list price for a new hardcover copy: $277.20), Pearson is going to start renting digital textbooks for $40 to $80, updating them over the air. Next month, it will launch the first of a new series of mobile apps called Aida — a portmanteau of AI and Ada Lovelace — that will let calculus students take a picture of their homework and, Fallon said, get step-by-step corrections.

“There’s something like 100 different concepts that you have to master in introductory calculus,” he said. “If you’re designing your textbook or a lecturer designing your course, you teach those 100 concepts in a linear way, building on one another, which is the only rational way you can teach something when you’re trying to do it to large numbers of people. This enables us to then also teach them in a nonlinear way, which means it’s personal and adapts it to you.”

“It can provide individual feedback to the student,” Fallon added. “You can say, ‘Well, you’ve mastered this concept, but you’re struggling here. Here’s where you should focus more effort. Here’s a tip for you. Here’s a little snippet of a video. Here’s a person you can talk to. Here’s a classmate who’s actually mastered this.’ Actually, the classmate will learn as well, because we learn by teaching others what we know.”

You can listen to Recode Decode wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and TuneIn.

Below, we’ve shared a lightly edited full transcript of Kara’s conversation with John.

[morpheme-publishing]

Disruption Comes to Higher-Ed Publishing

An outdated business model is spurring new initiatives in educational publishing.

The model that higher education textbook publishers have been using for decades is just not working anymore—neither for publishers nor for students. As a result, higher education is the publishing segment that’s undergoing the most disruptive changes today. Change is coming from everywhere, and it’s an exciting time for business model innovation.

The textbook publishing business has been under multiple threats for years. Publishers have increasingly been competing with used textbooks sales and third-party textbook rental services such as Chegg and Amazon. Textbook sales have also been suffering more and more from course instructors using open educational resources and other free online materials. Piracy of publishers’ titles has also eaten into sales.Publishers’ primary strategy in coping with these forces has been merely to keep raising prices. For example, Paul Samuelson’s Economics (McGraw-Hill), one of the most enduring textbooks of all time, currently retails for $220 in hardcover—up from its $10 price 50 years ago. Even when adjusted for inflation, the price has more than tripled since 1969. But that strategy has stopped working: the AAP reported that sales of higher educational materials fell 7% in 2018 compared to 2017.

The first major publisher to rethink its textbook delivery model was Cengage, the number-two publisher in the U.S. market. Last year, it launched a subscription service called Cengage Unlimited, which offers students access to all e-textbooks in its catalogue for $120 per semester or $180 per year. It even provides a calculator so that students can determine whether they can save money by signing up for the plan vs. purchasing textbooks individually.

Cengage’s other response has been to plan to merge with McGraw-Hill Education—a move that would consolidate the market into four major publishers (with McGraw/Cengage alongside Macmillan, Pearson, and Wiley). The merger, announced in April, would likely lead to adding McGraw-Hill titles in Cengage Unlimited. This would mean that the plan could include almost half of U.S. college textbook titles, which would make it more attractive to students.

Pearson announced a different new strategy last month: it is going “digital first.” Pearson will move almost all of its 1,500 U.S. textbook titles to continuously updated digital content and make print textbooks available only on a rental basis. Students will be able to access e-textbooks for an average of $40 per semester each. This will mean that students will always be able to get the latest version of the content; it also means that textbook authors have to commit to continuously updating their material over several years instead of committing only to one edition at a time. The changes to editorial infrastructure and processes necessary to go digital first are profound; Pearson has been putting them in place for several years.What Cengage’s and Pearson’s strategies have in common is that both include attempts to take control of distribution of textbook content away from third parties such as Amazon, Chegg, MBS Direct, VitalSource, and college bookstores. By bypassing these intermediaries, publishers can increase their margins, develop relationships directly with students, and get better data about content usage.

But now another force is vying to control those distribution channels: universities. The University of California at Davis is building a course material distribution scheme, called Equitable Access, that will guarantee publishers up to a fixed amount of money—currently envisioned as $20—for every student in any class that adopts one of the publisher’s books. This would replace the status quo, in which only a few students actually buy new textbooks, while the others buy used, obtain pirated copies, or do without. UC Davis argues that the vast majority of publishers will make more money—in some cases much more—this way.

UC Davis is doing this because course materials are the only student costs it can’t control. It charges the same fees to all students for health insurance, student activities, and so on, and it covers these fees for students who are on full financial aid packages. So, just as every student pays the same health insurance premiums whether they are healthy or sick, Equitable Access will make textbook costs for mechanical engineering majors roughly the same as for literature majors (where most books are available as trade titles).

UC Davis plans to launch the program in fall 2020, using VitalSource as its distribution platform. At least two other U.S. colleges are working on similar initiatives. If this type of program expands to a critical mass of schools, it will put the schools in control of distribution channels and thwart publishers’ plans to control them.With these large forces competing to change pricing and distribution, it’s certain that the textbook market of 10 years from now will bear little resemblance to today’s market, even if we don’t know exactly what it will look like.

Bill Rosenblatt is president of GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies and is a founding partner of Publishing Technology Partners.

[morpheme-publishing]

The Radical Transformation of the Textbook

Digital-first. Open source. Subscription. The way textbooks are bought and sold is changing—with serious implications for higher education.

FOR SEVERAL DECADES, textbook publishers followed the same basic model: Pitch a hefty tome of knowledge to faculty for inclusion in lesson plans; charge students an equally hefty sum; revise and update its content as needed every few years. Repeat. But the last several years have seen a shift at colleges and universities—one that has more recently turned tectonic.

In a way, the evolution of the textbook has mirrored that in every other industry. Ownership has given way to rentals, and analog to digital. Within the broad strokes of that transition, though, lie divergent ideas about not just what learning should look like in the 21st century but how affordable to make it.

Let’s Get Digital