Group items tagged

Last month, Apple announced iBooks2 with the main focus being on electronic textbooks for education. I wrote my initial thoughts, concerns, and observations then and am still a skeptic due to costs and access to devices. iPads are expensive ($500) and then add in the costs of the iBooks ($14.99) for each student. Most schools are in the red and have no money for devices. Instead, I like device and OS agnostic, free apps and e-textbooks, along with free web resources. There are a bunch of links below for more on that.

State of Washington.

Seven out of 10 undergraduate students attending the University of California, Riverside don't buy textbooks, preferring to rent them, rely on instructor-provided materials, or go without. According to a recent "Undergraduate Experience Survey," run annually, 73 percent of respondents reported postponing the purchase, and 74 percent chose to skip buying them altogether. Those counts are similar to results from a 2010 survey.

"If you're trying to get inexpensive computing devices to those in need, you (theoretically) couldn't go wrong with making that device a tablet. So thinks non-profit "One Laptop Per Child," an organization that strives to deliver rugged, cost-effective computers to children in developing nations. The group has jumped into the tablet space with a prototype tablet, on display at CES Unveiled Sunday."

"One explanation for the lack of student interest in eTexts may be the price: current eText products have yet to deliver on the widespread expectation that "digital should cost less." However, my (admittedly quick) scan of the textbook market suggests that eTexts are actually among the more expensive textbook options for students."

Raspberry Pi Foundation's US$25 PC will become available by the end of this month, and buyers hope it could fill in as a low-power desktop, while being an alternative to the more expensive open-source hardware.