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The Open College Textbook Act of 2009: ProfsWhat will the profs who force everyone to buy the latest edition of their own $125 textbook do now?Probably still the same thing.RE: The Open College Textbook Act of 2009You do know that this act will severely curtail the research that could lead to new curricula and textbooks?Why? It's because...; Tags: Government, Vertical industries, textbook, Open College Textbook Act; Discussion threads 2009-10-02
The Open College Textbook Act of 2009: Who called this one? Oh right! That would be me! OK, maybe I was hoping for something a bit more sweeping than this, but it's a step in the right direction. by Christopher Dawson; Tags: Textbook, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-10-02
JACTVocab 2.0 (Mac): To accompany use of the Ancient Greek beginner textbook "Reading Greek", by the Joint Association of Classical Teachers JACT, Cambridge University Press. Now updated for the second edition of "Reading Greek." This program includes all the learned vocabulary from the textbook, allows this vocabulary to be sorted and consulted in...; Tags: Apple Macintosh, Teacher, Textbook, Vocabulary, Apple Mac OS X, Apple Mac OS, Desktops, Operating Systems, Software, Hardware; Software downloads 2009-09-28
eTextbooks 1.0 (Mobile): College students at nearly 6,000 campuses in the U.S. and Canada use eTextbooks from CourseSmart to help achieve their education goals. Students can access their eTextbooks and notes using any computer connected to the Internet and now their iPhone or iPod touch. The eTextbooks for the iPhone app is a...; Tags: Apple iPhone, Mobile, Student, Apple iPod Touch, Textbook, CourseSmart, Smart Phones, Digital Music, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology; Software downloads 2009-09-08
CA digital textbooks initiative falls flat: And does this make any sense?I heard a report on Bloomberg radio that teachers in CA were PRINTING the entire digital books out to give to students!So let's see. The teachers are using extra paper, printer ink/toner, staples or paper clips, not to mention the time needed to wait for...; Tags: Computer Associates International Inc.; Discussion threads 2009-08-18

CA digital textbooks initiative falls flat: Here is California's review of digital high school textbooks. As AP reports, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been promoting the idea that schools would use these free texts as a way to save money and bring education into the 21st century. First, it's interesting to...; Tags: School District, California, Computer Associates International Inc., Hardware, Standards, Textbook, CK-12, Quality, Business Operations, Richard Koman; Blog posts 2009-08-18
CK-12 Foundation dominates California e-textbook search: Last month, I wrote a post on the CK-12 Foundation and their free textbook initiatives. As I suggested then, When some serious Silicon Valley heavyweights get together with Stanford academics and experienced K-12 educators to start producing high-quality, open content, chances are good that youâ€™ll...; Tags: California, Standards, Textbook, Quality, Business Operations, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-08-13
While I'm away...Kindlenomics and OLPC revisited: Since my wife is 6 months pregnant and my mom is visiting from Seattle, we've decided to take a night away while said mom watches the kids. As a result, you get one more repost. I'll be back tomorrow, recharged after a bed and breakfast getaway; it will...; Tags: Student, Hardware, Textbook, One Laptop Per Child Project, Kindle, Kindroid, XO 2.0, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-07-30
The American Textbook Accessibility Act: Yesterday, I posted some thoughts about Arizona State University's use of the Kindle in a pilot program and the heat the school was taking over the inability of blind students to use the devices. While the controversy seemed overblown to me, it sparked an interesting conversation with fellow blogger,...; Tags: Textbook, Digital Rights Management (DRM), Government, E-books, Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), XML, Digital Media, Security, Personal Technology, Human Resources, Gender And Diversity, Software/Web Development, Web Development, Consumer Electronics, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-07-28
Amazon ate my homework, or why DRM stinks for education: The phrase "Amazon ate my homework" may certainly have been uttered on more than one occasion since the New York Times reported on Amazon's deletion of specific editions of George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 from Kindle e-book readers (and no, the irony wasn't lost on anybody). Unless you...; Tags: Education, Digital-rights Management, Student, Amazon.com Inc., Textbook, Digital Rights Management (DRM), Digital Media, Security, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-07-20
Chegg.com is the Netflix of textbooks: Chegg.com is the Netflix of textbooksUse sticky notesInstead of writing in the textbooks, use sticky notes. Then take them all out when you return the book.Your Ideal world...Is unlikely to ever be ideal. The textbook industry is like so many others lately: greedy. That greed will prevent...; Tags: textbook, Chegg.com, NetFlix Inc., textbook industry; Discussion threads 2009-07-09
Chegg.com is the Netflix of textbooks: The New York Times ran an article this past weekend on Chegg.com short for chicken and egg, a growing textbook rental service. That's right, textbook rental. How many college students buy used books and then return them at the end of a semester? Chegg allows you to simply...; Tags: NetFlix Inc., Textbook, Chegg.com, Chegg, Venture Capital, Healthcare, Productivity, Investment, Finance, Financing Startups, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-07-09
Kindle DX: Bigger screen means higher expectations: Amazon's Kindle DX is an interesting study in user expectations. The limitations of the Kindle 2 aren't nearly as acceptable on a bigger screen. The Kindle DX has a 9.7-inch screen, which is larger than the Kindle 2's 6-inch version. The other big perk with the Kindle...; Tags: Screen, Textbook, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle DX, Kindle DX, Wireless LANs, Wi-Fi, Web Browsers, Wireless And Mobility, Internet, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2009-06-15
Anyone care to publish some textbooks on Scribd?: Anyone care to publish some textbooks on Scribd?OnLine Learning is good for everyone.Excellent article, and great ideas. Anything that provides access to educational resources at reduced or low cost, and makes those resources more readily available is a good thing. Have you checked out academicearth.org, or MIT's online coursework?What...; Tags: Desktops, Scribd, textbook; Discussion threads 2009-06-12
Anyone care to publish some textbooks on Scribd?: The recent headlines about Simon and Schuster's publication of 5000 ebooks on Scribd grabbed my attention, since I had previously and unfairly put a look at the new service on the back burner. I'm glad I took the time to check it out since, assuming their business model is...; Tags: Textbook, Scribd, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-06-12
Google reads my blogs again, uses my e-book model: OK, so the great and powerful GOOG probably didn't give a lot of thought to my model of electronically distributing textbooks for use on commodity netbooks when they announced their upcoming e-book initiative. However, even if they can't crush Amazon in the consumer space, where the Oprah-loved Kindle makes...; Tags: Google Inc., Blog, Textbook, Amazon Kindle, E-books, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Productivity, Personal Technology, Hardware, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-06-01
The problem for open source textbooks: The problem for open source textbooksinteresting one, here is an attempt...1) Find an author/publisher willing to open source an existing textbook as the 'seed' for each subject. The seed is very important.2) Have a wikipedia style site. Decide whether and how contributors and contributions will be managed. 3) Have periodic...; Tags: open source, state?s children, textbook, open source textbook; Discussion threads 2009-05-12
The problem for open source textbooks: Every textbook is a political document. This is its strength and its weakness. Authority gives textbooks power, but it's also why most read more like software manuals than real books. by Dana Blankenhorn; Tags: Textbook, Tools & Techniques, Open Source, Management, Dana Blankenhorn; Blog posts 2009-05-12
Smaller profit margins will slow adoption of larger Kindle: I read a great article this morning in InformationWeek. It didn't focus on any of my concerns with the Kindle DX (high cost, black and white screen, lack of WiFi, closed standards, DRM, etc.). Rather, it went to the heart of educational content for the device: ...what...; Tags: Profit Margin, Textbook, Textbook Publisher, Digital Rights Management (DRM), Digital Media, Benefits, Open Source, Security, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Human Resources, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2009-05-08
Revisiting the ROI of the Kindle DX: Why is Amazon blind to Wi-Fi?: Amazon unveiled its much hyped Kindle DX, an e-book with a 9.7-inch screen designed to raise a ruckus in the textbook market, but delivered a $489 curve ball that seriously alters the return on investment calculation for academia.Â On the surface, the argument for the Kindle DX...; Tags: Student, ROI, Amazon.com Inc., Textbook, Amazon Kindle, Kindle DX, Roi/Tco, Wireless LANs, Wi-Fi, Wireless And Mobility, Finance, Managerial Accounting, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2009-05-07