Discussion

By Larry Bauer on Jun 10, 2009

I would agree that, on the surface, it doesn't appear to be particularly well thought out. And I think anyone who has studied digital books can imagine a ton of implementation issues. It would seem far more sensible to me to start with a modest, but well-designed pilot program before rolling something out to an entire state, especially the largest state in the union. Makes you wonder.

 

By Michael J on Jun 10, 2009

My take is that it's the end of the K -12 textbook industry as we've known it for the last forty years.

it's also a once in a lifetime opportunity for digital print and versioned newspapers.

If you're interested the long story, you can find it here http://tinyurl.com/kj8ncg

 

By Andy McCourt on Jun 11, 2009

I can certainly see some benefits in reducing the weight of text books students have to haul around, by making them available on e-Readers. But what is sure to happen is the school laser-printers will go into hyper-drive with all the printing out and aggregating of chapters etc. A secondary effect may be that good content will dry up because the authors of good content depend on book revenues to sustain the high standards. If not licenced to the eReaders, it can only be stolen via illegal downloads and the music industry has shown how this problem is addressed.
Third, for some topics, there is no substitute for a book. It's 3-dimensional, flickable, annoteable, possessable and reaches the parts of a child's brain that single-page-view 2D screens can not reach.
The answer of course is that text books go the same way as novels are going. Print on-demand, near source of demand. Update regularly and have a sound environmental programme of recycling 100% of obsolete books. QR codes in the books can be included 'for latest update' downloads.
Methinks the Amazon PR machine has gotten to Arn in Califiornia. He has a point, but the answer is hybrid, not total. Kids' education will suffer if CA eliminates textbooks.
Information is not the final product - knowledge is.

 

By Brian Regan on Jun 11, 2009

My guess is that it is a not about what's best for the kids and more likely looking over with a fine tooth comb every expense they have and getting rid of it ASAP. Sad, but likely true.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE55974820090611

 

By Patrick Berger on Jun 11, 2009

The printed word is probably the only 1 time carbon charge method of communication other than face to face conversation. Just about everything else requires power every time it is used.

 

By Michael J on Jun 11, 2009

Andy said "But what is sure to happen is the school laser-printers will go into hyper-drive with all the printing out and aggregating of chapters etc."

Exactly! That's the opportunity for MPS in education and printernet publishing for everyone else.

No doubt the politicians are only looking at the budget. But the dirty little secret is that no matter what any admin says they are doing they are only looking at the budget because those are clearest metrics of success in the eyes of the higher ups.

The reality is that very few people understand the power of print. So they think they are going to do web-only-ereader-blablabla.

As soon as they try to implement it turns out they need print. I'm hoping the print industry stays focused so when web-ereader-only crashes and burns we'll be ready when they figure it out.

 

By Dutch on Jun 11, 2009

This could be the most profound statement on the over-all long term environmental effect of printing versus e-media.

 

By Patrick Henry on Jun 11, 2009

I have to agree with Michael J that textbook publishing is on the brink of profound change. But don't take our word for it--take it from the president of a leading academic publisher:

“The textbook is an appalling way to deliver information. It's extremely time-intensive to develop. It's extremely expensive to produce, extremely expensive to warehouse, extremely expensive to load to the marketplace. The students don't like it. The professors don't like it. It's bad access of information. You never have it where you want it. You have a bunch of students in K to 12 and in college who have right shoulders that are lower than their left shoulders. Everybody hates it. We hate it because we sell it. It goes into the marketplace and it comes into the used marketplace. So every time we sell a textbook once, it gets sold three or four more times, and I don't make any money on it. So, I'm looking forward to a digital transition.”

When I ask students in the classes I teach to name the most obvious applications for the Amazon Kindle and other e-reading solutions, guess what they all point to first? As for which specific technologies will be used, the marketplace will sort that out very quickly, and texts will be adapted to whatever method of delivery sells best. A hat tip to Gov. Schwarzenegger for giving us a peek into a future where, in some respects, the machines really will be in charge.

 

By Patrick Berger on Jun 11, 2009

Are the students using more books today that we did 45 years ago? I don't recall being stooped over or hunch backed or having my shoulders out of kilter because of carrying books.
I showed this to my 2 children whom are still in high and college. The college student is taking engineering probably the most book intensive course that you can take. They both said they prefer books or paper verses the computer screen. Both said the computer screen gets very hard to read after a half an hour.
If they need any updated material they print it out. They both said if the computer or ereader goes down they are screwed. They also said that their teachers informed them if your computer goes down that is no excuse for missing any work when paper and books are available.

 

By Scott on Jun 11, 2009

If one starts at a young age utilizing the digital version rather than the book, then there probably won't be any problems. We on the other hand frown upon the digital version because all we have ever used are books and that is what we are used to. A good example I think on this is the Newspaper industry. Younger people tend to get the news from online vs. the printed newspaper. Just some food for thought.

If it were me implementing the program new kindergarten students would start with the digital version and as they moved up in grade then they would continue with the digital version. All existing students will keep the book. For instance when the kindergartner gets the digital version, the first grader of the same time has the book, and will continue to use the book for his or her school career.

 

By Michael Jahn on Jun 11, 2009

@ Patrick Berger

You wrote;

"Are the students using more books today that we did 45 years ago? I don’t recall being stooped over or hunch backed or having my shoulders out of kilter because of carrying books."

I too have students - the twins just graduated from HS, and were taking AP classes.

This Senior year, we purchased $2,200 in School Book products. The twins are less then 100 lbs. These books were VERY heavy and they lugged them back and forth - they have both had corrective surgery on their backs - while this was not caused by lugging books, I will say that I welcome eBooks as they would be MUCH lighter. BTW - they used less than 1 year and now is totally useless to them. We now need to go through the trouble or recycling the workbooks (as they can't be sold used) and lugging them to the book sale.

In contrast, the last few books I acquired as a PDF were easily delete-able and easy to back up (there is no misplacing, loosing or having an eBook stolen)

2. We could not get three of the requested books in the short timeframe the school provided, as they were on back order and we had buy used books which were the previous edition, with no way to purchase an addendum or errata. I am not sure where you kids get the impression that "If they need any updated material they print it out."

In contrast, all things that I have purchased that were digital can be updated;

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-07.html

related to the comment "Both said the computer screen gets very hard to read after a half an hour."

This is simply not the case with eBook readers. perhaps they have not actually tried the Amazon Kindle. The display is quite different than a computer screen, and identical to paper from an eye fatigue perceptive.

I will close this with my favorite quote from the Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher (1788 - 1860)

All truth passes through three stages.

First, it is ridiculed.

Second, it is violently opposed.

Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

eBooks will replace School Books, period.

 

By Michael J on Jun 11, 2009

I have to disagree. Textbooks gone?. No doubt.
Print replaced by ereaders, nope.
Ereaders complemented by Print, yup.

I have a Kindle 2.0. I love it. It's the most awesome reading machine and the epaper solves the can't read on screen problem. When the next larger version is released in September College Textbooks being to disappear.

But in K -12 the problem is logistics and educational. The logistic problem is that the kids will lose them, break them or won't be aloned to own them. If they can't own them, they won't work. Anyone who does not have a personal computer takes forever to learn how to use it.

The educational problem is that the essence of education is being able to practice the process of compare and contrast. The fact is that type and pictures that sits still on paper is the best most convenient way to do compare and contrast.

The days of consuming information are over as the metric of success in education. Now we need as many people in every strata that can think logically. I do believe that it may not be a printed book. It may turn out to be a printed newspaper.

It's a much large field of vision to be able to do alot more compare and contrast.

 

By Adam Dewitz on Jun 11, 2009

We need to keep in mind that CA did not announce eBook Readers replacing printed books. The announced digital textbooks. In some cases a digital textbook is simply a PDF, or some proprietary file format (that requires special software) or an HTML version hosted in a Web database. In a lot of cases its designed in a book-like format - not designed for the requirements of screen reading. When we see something on a digital screen that looks like print, what do we want to do? We print it. Without investment in properly configured print centers (rooms full of Espresso Book Machines?) we can expect to see a lot of wasted resources as students and teachers flock to the computer lab to print out digital text on inefficient desktop laser printers. Of course this will be addressed by restricting or limiting access to printer. Which total overlooks the issue.

--

A few years ago while working on my undergrad degree I worked for printer that printed custom published books. The concept was simple: a university professor could cherry pick chapters across a number of traditionally published textbooks and include chapters and content they wrote to create a custom textbook. The adoption of a this model along with digital textbooks is the best direction a school system should take.

--

The quote from the academic publisher is perfect example of how they just don't get it. They are upset that they can't play middleman in the resell market. They want us to buy DRM-ridden digital textbooks that force us to use them the way they want us to. Digital textbooks will be the next MP3 and bootlegging of books will be rampant. Students will crack any DRM and finds ways around restrictions so they can use the content in a manner that best suites their needs and reading habits.

--
If we want to consider the current eBook devices on the market as device for these digital textbooks we should be worried. They are are ill suited for many textbook applications. Try looking at any biology diagram on a Sony Reader or Kindle. No color and low image quality are the recipe for a bad experience.

--

What are the implications for the adoption of digital textbooks and the http://www.pewinternet.org/topics/Digital-Divide.aspx" rel="nofollow">digital divide?. How do we guarantee access to all?

--

The transition to digital books is not being driven by innovative thinking as it needs to be, but by cost cutting. To do this right its going to take investment. Investment in technology at schools and libraries to support digital editions. It going to require a print strategy to support the times when print is required and investment in technology to support print.

 

By Michael J on Jun 11, 2009

Adam,
Your points are very well taken, but I think all the pieces are already in place. The biggest opportunity is in the fastest growing segment of the overall print market - Managed Print Services.

HP and Xerox as well as Oce, Ricoh and the other global copier companies are in a ferocious battle to win ground.

While the commercial print industry still has lots of overcapacity in Europe and America, the opportunities to cut costs, save jobs and create new jobs in MPS is huge. Every formal enterprise has excessively wasteful print policies. Print procurement focuses on purchased print. But the real waste is in internal printing.

I agree that the business model of selling IP protected content is a dream, never to reappear on a mass scale. The value going forward is seamless execution, small margins and massive scales.

For regional and local print for pay companies, it's actually a much better outlook. For customers who have real trust in a local enterprise, the cost of change is too high.

Meanwhile, Flat World Textbooks published their first list this semester. They give away the textbook content, and make money by selling print supplements and other stuff.

The good news for printing is that the emerging business model for the information industries is read for free, pay for print.

 

By Andy McCourt on Jun 11, 2009

Michael Jahn, good Schopenhauer quote. He also said, about the Bhuddist Upanishad scriptures he had read in Latin from the translations of a French academic "It is the most satisfying and elevating reading (with the exception of the original text) which is possible in the world; it has been the solace of my life and will be the solace of my death."

Would Schopenhauer's, or any student's 'solace' be achieved from a transitory reading from an eBook screen? He also had a lot to say about our bodies and how we exist and interact with our surroundings. To me, books are bonded to our physical, mental and spiritual being in a way that can not be replicated by any other 'device' that is 'trying to be a book.' I do accept that certain textbooks, directories and technical documentation could benefit by being condensed to portable e-readers - such as my Bookeen Cybook Gen 3, only 6.13ozs!(which I like a lot and find convenient in some environments). Having collected and sold antiquarian books most of my life, I also ask - where is the market for 'rare and collectable PDFs?' Secondhand word.doc, HTML or Mobipocket stores to browse in anybody? Thinking of a book as just type on pages and imagining that an electronic replication will superceed it is naiive. Books represent so many other things - they can be things of great beauty, crystal goblets amplifying the fine wine of knowledge and story-telling, tactile direct nodes to our subconscious. I shan't go on. Above all, books and other manuscripts represent and perpetuate liberty. Some, like Patrick Henry's academic publisher quoted above, welcome the digital publishing trend as it seems to allow him to make huge profits. He will be disappointed. Mankind's thirst for knowledge will not be starved by excessive greed. Knowledge, once printed, becomes shareable, tradeable and revisitable over-and-over. This principle has driven civilisation for 600 years.
We should be careful of confusing the 'delivery system' with the 'final product.'

 

By Steve Brown on Jun 12, 2009

I'm delighted about the concept of digital books. Teachers and Schools should have the ability to construct their lesson plan, integrating "book components", in the order they want to teach the class. On demand, fully customized, reduced page counts, faster turn time, lower overall costs, "green friendly", and potentially more educational...this could be the start of something good. Having one of the largest footprint of digital presses in the country, this is great news for us!

 

By Michael J on Jun 12, 2009

To the assembled wise people - also wise gals and guys-

I think I may have stumbled upon a way to fill the hole left by textbooks with an ongoing series of A4 documents. It would be great to get the benefit of all the different points of view and expert experience of the folks who visit this thread to get any thoughts or reactions they might have.

Here's the link. http://tinyurl.com/mfv2yr

 

By David on Jun 12, 2009

Re: authors--This may be an issue in journal publishing and higher education. But in most K-12 textbook publishing, the author could not possibly be further removed from the entire publishing process. The publisher acquires manuscript--often very rough--and the right to use the author's name on the cover. The published text doesn't usually even resemble what the author wrote. And almost never is an author involved in any way with later reprint revisions.

Re: experience--I have been a book lover my entire life. I still prefer to read printed material for its portability. I recently read (for the first time) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea on my iPhone. I have to say that the experience was every bit as satisfying as reading a printed book. I was every bit as drawn in to the story and felt I was there living the experience, just as if I had read a printed book.

Re: "the end of the K -12 textbook industry as we’ve known it for the last forty years"--maybe from the printer's point of view. The entire process up to putting ink on paper is very much the same as it's always been. Writers, copyeditors, publishers, photographers, illustrators, typesetters, page layout artists, designers, proofreaders, "prepress" specialists are all still involved very much the same as they have always been. In fact, each has more opportunity with "alternate" delivery platforms because of the additional capabilities of interactivity and more rapidly-updatable content.

Re: "students using more books today that we did 45 years ago"--Can't answer about 45 years ago, but in the early 1980's when I was in high school, I had to carry around 5 or 6 heavy textbooks around all day. Each had, probably, around 400-500 pages. I now regularly see Math and Science textbooks that have 800 pages or more, and History books that are over 1800 pages! These are enormous volumes. And some publishers print all of their textbooks in a larger trimmed format than most on top of that. I would not want to be a high school student today, carrying around all those books.

Re: statement by "president of a leading academic publisher"--being involved in the educational publishing business, I have to say that I agree with everything quoted, though I think the part about being excluded from resales is greedy and misplaced. And I don't think it will become any less expensive to develop or to produce. I think the cost of printing will just shift to interactive development.

 

By Brian Regan on Jun 12, 2009

I shared the below link and info to Michael J a few months ago. I uncovered it through the Virtual World/Second Life/Augmented Reality work I do on the site.

Basically the then Director, Office of Educational Technology
U.S.Department of Education Tim Magner was explaining a concept called School 2.0. This concept was a complete revamping of the infrastructure of schools and their communities. If you take the time to look through the link below you will see that what California is doing is seemingly a first or second step in what Tim was talking about. In fact School 2.0 could very well be the blue print being used. I wonder if Tim is actually involved in the California process as he left the government and went into private consulting.

If you want a glimps of what people in the government have been looking at for at least 3 years now, check out school 2.0.

http://etoolkit.org/etoolkit

Tim's LinkedIN profile if you want to learn more and see if print has a piece in this. When I spoke to Tim at a seminar at Boston College he admitted that getting the word out would require using print heavily.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/tmagner

 

By George Alexander on Jun 12, 2009

I agree with most of David’s points.

Not many people are aware of the way textbooks are developed today. The work is done by teams of dozens of people, who produce hundreds of “components” (pupil books, teacher books, tests and quizzes, workbooks, remedial materials, online resources, software, remedial materials, etc.) for a typical K-12 “program” in a subject such as math.

All of this is prepared in parallel to meet the deadline for adoption by a large state (such as Texas, California, or Florida) that has state-wide textbook adoption. The materials are designed to satisfy the known biases and checklists of the state adoption committees, and to meet the “thumb test”—anywhere a committee member sticks in their thumb, they will find a spread with lots of attractive color pictures. Much of this process has nothing to do with either teaching or learning. It is all about the adoption process. It results in vast quantities of materials that are always bloated and filled with content that is often sub-par or worse, and that are not updated until the next adoption cycle, years later. (If you want to learn more about the gruesome details, and get links to some useful resources, check out my editorial at beyond-print.net.)

Many of the changes that Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing are inevitable (though they won’t happen anywhere near as fast as he wants). But until the current state-wide adoption process is abandoned, California will still end up with poor materials in its classrooms.

 

By Michael J on Jun 12, 2009

George,
Your points are exactly right. It's about the Texas School Board. It's not that the publishers don't get it. They are as trapped by that school board in Texas as much as anyone else.

Does anyone think a skunk works solution that emerges in the inevitable chaos precipitated by the Gov's decision could percolate up while the adoption process is being rethought?

 

By David on Jun 15, 2009

At least one large, very well-known educational publisher frequently updates the content (correcting errors at the very least) in their student and teacher texts each time the books are reprinted. Of course it's probably still up to the state's budget whether or when content additions are made--i.e., Indiana may decide they want an election update in their new versions, while North Carolina may not--in between adoption cycles.

 

By Bryan Yeager on Jun 16, 2009

As a recent college graduate, my personal opinion is that textbook publishers like to gouge students, particularly in the United States. I compare textbook publishers to pharmaceutical companies in the way they often conduct business: Charge U.S. consumers very high prices to cover the costs of research and production, while subsidizing the product for the rest of the world. For instance, I bought a number of new and used books from merchants on Half.com because my college bookstore's textbook prices were outrageous, as most seem to be. I once received an "International" edition of a textbook for a substantially lower price than the U.S. version. From my understanding, these versions are technically illegal for resale in the United States (oops!). When I compared my book with a classmate's, it turns out that all of the content was exactly the same except for the cover, which stated its version. I don't necessarily disagree with this practice, as it's a worthy cause to spread knowledge throughout the world. My bigger problem was when I would buy a $100 textbook at the bookstore that the professor would only use once or twice throughout the entire course, only to get $15 back for the book when trying to sell it back. Professors need to take more responsibility to utilize the materials that they require in the classroom.

As far as "digital textbooks" are concerned, if it brings down the cost of education and can still be used as an effective learning tool, I am all for it. Of course, that remains to be seen. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be attempted.

Print-on-demand has been mentioned here as one solution, which I think is completely applicable. I think publishers are finally starting to get it. Check out this demo of Wiley Custom Select, which is powered by the MarkLogic XML Server: http://www.wiley.com//college/wcsdemo/

I suggest you check out a TED Talk with Richard Baraniuk of Connexions from 2006 about open-source learning: http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_baraniuk_on_open_source_learning.html

Connexions (http://www.cnx.org) enables academics, educators, and others to work together to create their own digital textbooks on an infinite variety of topic areas, and also utilizes print-on-demand if the creators want to produce them as books.

 

By Rick Lindemann on Jun 16, 2009

@Bryan Yeager I agree completely with custom textbook concept and it is being used very effectively at several schools by various publishers. I also think that giving the professors more control over the content of the textbook makes them much more apt to teach out of it. So at least when we pay $100 for a book, we get to use it.

 

By Kurt on Jun 16, 2009

Is the Governor going to pay for all of the people that are currently employed in the printing industry to go back to school to find another way of living. How much for laptops for every school? The state is broke!!! We are heading into another great depression...

Good Luck USA

 

By Jan Eskildsen on Jun 18, 2009

I am surprised to hear prices for school books, but since I live ein a country, where they are free (and some better than others) for the first 8-9-10 years, I am not the right to judge.
I see no reason to pay 270 dolars for an e-book reader, when you can read books on an Apple iPhone og iPod Touch - or another mobile phone with built in mail, net, gps, compass, music, video and what do we have.
Does it have to be bigger than that?
PVI that produces Kindle and Sony Reader recently bought E Ink Corp, and they have made a forecast - 20 million e-book readers in 2012.
Oh, is that a fact???
Apple already sold 40 millions iPhones and iPod Touch - appr. half of each device.
Digital books - can contain animations and also video, which is good for matematics and science.
But take a look here http://blog.th.ingsmadeoutofotherthin.gs/eucalyptus-faq

 

By Patrick Henry on Jun 18, 2009

For a valuable perspective on the rise of e-books in general, see "The Kindle—Igniting the Book Business" in the June issue of Book Business magazine (http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/amazons-kindle-has-raised-issues-book-publishers-such-appropriate-pricing-options-e-books-407856_1.html)

One comment in particular haunts the mind of this trailing-edge Baby Boomer:

"Asking baby boomers whether they will forego their affinity for printed books is irrelevant. The key to the future is whether e-books will be interesting enough to Generations X, Y and the millennials to capture a significant portion of their entertainment spending."

I think the recognition that spending on e-books primarily will be driven by entertainment, not education, is a point we may be missing in this thread.

 

By Michael J on Jun 18, 2009

Patrick,
Regarding the “Asking baby boomers whether they will forego their affinity for printed books is irrelevant. The key to the future is whether e-books will be interesting enough to Generations X, Y and the millennials to capture a significant portion of their entertainment spending.”

E books are not made for entertainment. That's mobile phones. What generation x,y or millenial is going to pay $360 to read books on a black and white screen. Plus Amazon is already releasing ebooks for the iPhone. Jan has it just right.

It's another of the many publisher's blind spots that got them into this situation in the first place.

Consider
1. the purchasing power of baby boomers v generation anything.

2. how much time they finally have to catch up on all that reading they meant to do but were too busy with work and family

3. What's going to happen to the life span, when I am seeing active people in the 80's and 90's.

The opportunity that the blabla keeps missing is to monetize the long tail of their backlist to deliver in e books, on demand books, or whatever form people who read books want.

But, it's important to recognize that people who read books are a small niche market in the United States. Always were. Probably will be for a long time. The problem people don't have enough time to read. They're too busy working and raising the kids.

 

By Michael Jahn on Jun 22, 2009

I thought this thread was about the "California’s Digital Textbooks Initiative" - which has nothing to do with 'entertainment' or debates about eBook novels that some segment of the population might download to pass the time.

This is about School books. The debate is will Textbooks be used in their digital form (read on some digtal eBook reader device) or if these digital version textbooks are simply an intermediate format designed mainly to be distributed digitally and printed locally.

I think that 2-4 years forward, there will be no "printing" of these eBooks, that devices will be made available to students, and they will look far more like a Kindle than a dinky iPhone.

I will check back in 2012 and see if I am miserably wrong or someone who simply stated the obvious.

 

By Noel Ward on Jun 22, 2009

Within this issue is the content and the container.

Content is the words and pictures that make up the text book. Does anyone really think the text book publishers are really going to charge less by shifting to e-books? Come on. These guys are in business to make a profit and will continue to hose school systems and college students with high prices, simply because they can. Prices may be a little lower because publishers can avoid printing costs, but don't expect a real difference in the costs of the texts. It's the content that matters (and the publishers' profits) not the container.

As for the container, the Kindle is a start. Sort of like the original Mac was the start of electronic publishing. In my opinion it needs to be a lot more like an iPod Touch or iPhone before it has real value, especially if it's going to be used as a container for educational information. Give it a couple more years and it will grow up. Apple supposedly has something in the works along these lines, but in a larger size.

So Ahrnold may be right, but it's not going to work the way he thinks.

 

By AHert on Jun 22, 2009

Noel brings up an excelent point. I can download (almost) any song I want from iTunes, but at $.99 a song, I can end up paying more for an album than if I had gone to a store to pick up the physical copy - despite the fact that there were no production or distribution costs.

Add that to the cost of device (will they belong to the student or the school? How will they be maintained?), and the fact that it will be more attractive for theft than a book.

Finally, while this isn't a discussion about entertainment, it should enter into any decision about converting to ebooks. How are we going to monitor whether a student is reading or playing a game? I've definately been in High School and College classes where half of the students are playing Counter Strike.

 

By Michael J on Jun 22, 2009

Michael,
I'm glad to put this into the agree to disagree category. But to the central question you correctly pose, "The debate is will Textbooks be used in their digital form (read on some digtal eBook reader device) or if these digital version textbooks are simply an intermediate format designed mainly to be distributed digitally and printed locally."

We will have to see how it plays out, but I will put down a marker that says it will be mostly versioned digital print, supplemented by e readers of all kinds.

 

By David on Jun 23, 2009

To further clarify the topic of this thread, we are talking about school textbooks--not college textbooks. No one debates that college textbooks are too expensive. But schools/states do not pay the same price per book that university students pay for theirs. They're entirely different economics.

A discussion should be had about digital college textbooks--and is being had. But that's not what this thread is about.

 

By Michael J on Jun 23, 2009

Anything any one can share about the economics of K -12 textbooks would be great. As far as I can tell it's a classic example of a dog food business, where the user - the student - does not pay for the product. It's purchased by other people's money. Not a great incentive model for continual improvement.

It means the purchase decision is made to satisfy the needs of not-the-student, but the school board .

 

By Noel Ward on Jun 29, 2009

Had friends over for dinner the other night. One is a former groundwater geologist, then high school science teacher, and now high school science curriculum developer for a company that does that stuff for publishers. She was very interested in the idea of digitally printed texts being used in conjunction with some type of electronic distribution, such as computer, Kindle, etc.

But she saw no way that teachers will give up printed materials and said that the best content is still printed. She noted that in her experience the vast majority of science content found on the web is either too basic or too advanced for say, middle and high school kids. The level of content they need is still in books.

At least for the moment.

Having taught classes herself, she thought the idea of handing out some type of e-book reader to kids might be challenging, especially in terms of the things staying alive in the hostile environment of backpacks, lockers, car trunks, school buses, soccer fields, etc.

However, the state of Maine hands out laptops to kids in 7th grade, which they are supposed to use for several years. They've bee doing it for 3-4 years so far. I'll look into that and report back.

 

By Michael J on Jun 29, 2009

Noel,
If you get a chance ask about what she might think of versioned newspapers delivered to the school once a week.

The use case would be:
Teacher communicates curriculum and standards to journo.

Journo works with teacher to gather appropriate web content.

When it's time to start a unit, the journo puts in some appropriate current event stories + material from an approved wiki, and delivers it in print to the school.

Then 2d or QR codes with each story to take the student to the web resource.

More on how that might work at http://tinyurl.com/kj8ncg

 

By Joseph Tinnerello on Aug 01, 2009

Can you offer me the source for this quote?

Also, I courious about the negitive impact on the textbook publishers top line revenue. Won't their top line be reduced if they print les and produce more digital content?

How will they make up the difference to protect the top line?

Any ideas or am I off base?

 

By Michael J on Aug 06, 2009

Joseph,
I'm not sure which quote you are pointing at.

As for the top line for publishers, you have that just right. But top lines are no longer in their control. That's just a function of the financial stress on education leading to progressive dismantling of a business process that had more to do with the Texas School Board than creating effective teaching materials.

If publishers can make the transition to a student focused product instead of a school board focused product, it should eliminate a huge expense and time delay in getting the teaching materials out the door.

But dismantling an organization optimized to do business in one context is always a daunting task.

My two cents would to refocus on useful-to-the-student, not useful-to-the-teacher. That would free them to monetize their long tail of content.

It seems to me that going forward getting paid for content is a massive volume/low margin business. On the other hand, getting paid for stuff should maintain margins. That's behind my pitch outline above about replacing textbooks with clickable newspapers.

The other possibility is ad supported clickable newspapers in K-12 ed. Amazon and Google both have announced recommendation engines that supposedly can deliver contextually accurate ads in e booksIt's plausible to believe that sooner, rather than later, they will deliver contextually accurate ads in printed books. This might lead to a world where printed books are free-to-the-user.

The usual objection to ad supported teaching materials is about "commercialism." But that could be eliminated by limiting ads to community organizations, local business, and government health and safety organizations.

If the ads were in the form of TinyURls of QR codes, the other objection, the "distraction from the material" could also be managed.