Legal Research

eTextbooks

By admin

This is an interesting sector where innovation is taking place on an almost daily basis. Given that some e-textbooks are merely e-books and little more than something like a fiction book on a Kindle it’s no wonder that some of the early efforts got a bad rap. It seems like any early use of electronic tools often merely duplicates the print version. It’s a start but it’s not sufficient to really take advantage of the opportunities of digitization and combination of collaboration and social web tools. Things have evolved a lot lately, though.

These links show the early reactions to early stage e-textbooks on campus.

College Students Prefer Print Over Digital Textbooks

“According to a study done by OnCampus Research, 74% of college students still prefer to use a printed textbook when taking a class. From the press release , ?even with new digital handheld gadgets, smart phones, pads, and laptops glued to every college students hand, 74% still prefer to use a printed textbook when taking a class, according to the findings of a new Student Watch study conducted by OnCampus Research, a division of the National Association of College Stores (NACS) that helps companies better understand the college market.? The survey also found that 53% of students were unsure about purchasing digital textbooks or would not consider buying them even if they were available. Despite the findings, some anticipate digital textbook market share to rise to 18% by 2014.”

Students Give E-textbooks Failing Grade

“Interesting blog post from ereads summarizing several articles about student reactions to eBook readers and digital textbooks. A quote from the article states, ?Students around the nation are flunking the format. They want their paper books back. It seems that e-readers are okay for reading, but textbooks are seldom read immersively like novels, and so far the e-books can?t match the functionality of good old paper.?”

U. S. Digital Textbook Sales To Rise Dramatically

Stephen

Full post as published by Stephen's Lighthouse on June 30, 2010 (boomark / email).