Group items tagged

"The case for why tablets are ready for the college classroom is pretty simple: they're a great way for students to consume media-rich digital content (the best way out there, in my opinion), they mesh well with students' lifestyles thanks to their small profile and long battery life, and tablets offer access to the world of apps, which includes some of the most innovative educational software around. Like in most other markets, the iPad has so far been the tablet of choice on college campuses. But with today's launch of the Kindle Fire, Apple may have its first viable competitor."

"Just one day after the ground-breaking announcement of the new Kindle lineup we got news from the long awaited 35 USD tablet from India."

Pew stats

"The new Student Monitor data are slightly more validating to the mobile computing trend, although the percentages of students who say they own Internet-enabled smartphones (56 percent) and those who say they own iPads (9 percent) are virtually unchanged from when the firm asked the same questions in May. Apple's tablet accounted for about half of overall wireless reading devices (17 percent); it was followed by Amazon's Kindle (4 percent) and a long tail of minor players."

Interesting to see how laptop/desktop-centric students remain.

"John William White's First Greek Book was originally published in 1896. The book contains a guided curriculum built around the language and vocabulary of Xenophon's Anabasis. This digital tutorial is an evolving edition that is designed to run on both traditional browsers, tablet devices, and phones. Each lesson includes drill and practice exercises in addition to the text itself. The site also includes tab-delimited files for all of the vocabulary and grammar that can be imported into flashcard programs."

"BioBook mirrors the learning process of real-world biology professionals by integrating web-based research, interactive multimedia tools, and current information from professional societies and publications in a cloud-based e-textbook that is compatible with any device from a laptop to a tablet computer."

tablet/ e-reader ownership among US adults up to 29% (2 % less than 3 yrs ago)

A huge jump. I hope she returns to ebook content - software - with next one.

"Textbooks are gaining, though, as publishers take advantage of the popularity of tablets like the Kindle and iPad, expanding their catalogues and offering products like rental digital books that expire after a semester or two. "

Raises concerns about proprietary system that focuses on getting you to buy Amazon content; lack of flexibility: "schools are going to have to look for digital content that is available across platform. That could mean looking for DRM-free resources, or at least for resources that aren't restricted to one particular platform or file format. That could mean turning to Web apps over native apps. Does that mean turning to one big media technology company to handle content delivery (whether it's Apple or Amazon or Pearson)? Man, I sure hope not."

"Seton Hill University, George Fox University and Abilene Christian University each pre-ordered bundles of iPads - sight unseen - with plans to experiment with how the tablet could change classroom learning. In interviews with Wired.com just prior to the iPad's launch last week, officials from each university saw the iPad as having potential to render printed textbooks obsolete."

"As the e-reader and tablet wars heat up, Amazon.com Inc. is launching a digital-book lending library that will be available only to owners of its Kindle and Kindle Fire devices who are also subscribers to its Amazon Prime program."