tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28278131.post6062407246246283970..comments2024-02-01T12:31:52.518-05:00Comments on Personanondata: Where are all the e-Textbook Users?MChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121709548793388116noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28278131.post-45572123777298623842016-02-29T14:25:23.569-05:002016-02-29T14:25:23.569-05:00Good article, Michael. I think the device issue is...Good article, Michael. I think the device issue is partially a red herring. Virtually 100% of students have smartphones, and it's possible to design effective course materials for this space--which is where students already spend all their lives. They shouldn't need a computer or tablet. However, there is no denying that publishers haven't designed specifically for the smartphone space. When (if?) we eventually see course materials that are engaging, well priced, and perfectly suited to smartphone use, I believe we will see a shift in student attitudes toward digital materials.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02874040246568451133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28278131.post-85715905767639035902016-02-29T11:26:53.888-05:002016-02-29T11:26:53.888-05:00Thanks - good perspective. Agreed.Thanks - good perspective. Agreed.MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08121709548793388116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28278131.post-13626425137289162902016-02-29T07:32:18.920-05:002016-02-29T07:32:18.920-05:00"There are certainly many boosters who would ..."There are certainly many boosters who would answer yes."<br /><br />I think those are mainly people who have fallen under the sway of marketers/lobbyists working for textbook publishers. <br /><br />Publishers love digital textbooks because it means no used market, no physical distribution, etc. Users, on the other hand, have to contend with high prices, hardware costs, and access issues.<br /><br />The difference between publisher/govt interest and student/educator interest makes me wonder whether publishers are really the only ones who like the idea because they can <a href="http://the-digital-reader.com/2012/05/07/are-digital-textbooks-the-wave-of-the-future-or-simply-a-new-jobs-program-for-textbook-publishers/" rel="nofollow">tap public funds</a> (think No Child Left Behind).<br /><br />That's not completely accurate, I know. Some people are adopting OER, and even more people are using non-OER digital resources (Wikipedia, etc) without realizing it. But they're also not buying digital textbooks, not to the degree that publishers would like.<br /><br />"Is there a digital future for educational content at all?"<br /><br />I think the answer is yes, only that future will more closely reflect the internet than a retail textbook market. Go look up Pluralsight, for example. That startup does instructional videos, and so it is a textbook competitor - just not one that textbook publishers would recognize.<br /><br />Nate, editor of The Digital ReaderNathaniel Hoffelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13857088642054359340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28278131.post-20969268124372713052016-02-29T07:30:36.698-05:002016-02-29T07:30:36.698-05:00Nathaniel Hoffelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13857088642054359340noreply@blogger.com