Goodbye Textbooks, Hello iPad

PolygamousRanchKid writes "Students and teachers in grade school through higher education are using the iPad to augment their lessons or to replace textbooks. Jennifer Kohn's third grade class at Millstone Elementary School in Millstone, New Jersey, mastered the iPad with minimal training. For the most part, the students didn't need to be taught how to use their apps, Kohn says. College students are also turning to the iPad to do what they do instinctively well: saving themselves money. Marianne Petit, a New York University staff member, recently began taking credits in pursuit of another certification, and uses her iPad in place of textbooks. 'The price of the iPad pays for itself after a single semester,' Petit said. 'iPad books cost so much less it's a legal alternative for students who are using BitTorent [to pirate books].' Like the PC before it, Kohn noted that the iPad isn't a panacea for educators: It has its appropriate time and place. 'I don't use them with every lesson or even day. It's not always appropriate to lesson or objective of what I'm trying to teach,' Kohn noted."

Comments

iPad books cost less?

[Compaqt]

I thought the standard book industry line was that the cost of printing is only a few dollars, most of the cost is for authors, editors, copywriters, etc., and that's why e-books are priced very near print books.

That should be doubly so for textbooks because you're not just making up stories and writing them down plus you have to have special content like illustrations, photographs, and quizzes.

There aren't special discounts because the e-book is being sold for the iPad, are there?

"iPad books cost so much less...It's a legal alternative for students who are using BitTorent [to pirate books]."

Re:iPad books cost less?

[fafaforza]

The electronic version might be cheaper, but it will be cheaper by 5%, or some trivial amount like that, just like eBooks. iPad versions of text books won't "cost so much less."

Re:Strange & IMHO slightly suspicious...

[cryfreedomlove]

...how this lady chirps for one particular piece of equipment. Who paid her ?

I'm not suspicious at all. Occam's razor leads me to believe that she just likes it more than lugging around expensive single subject text books. Most of the time, things are really just that simple.

Re:When you drop a book...

[UncleRage]

Funny thing...

I've deployed around two thousand iPads in our district (and another 500 or so iPod Touches). 1700 (iPads and iTouches) or so to students, another 800 or so to admin/faculty.

Theft of device:
Students: 2.
Faculty/Staff: > 15.

Physical breakage (screen, headphone jack, etc...).
Students: 3.
Faculty Staff: > 20

Students have had devices for nearly three years. Adults, for about eighteen months.

Kids take care of the devices better than the adults (at least in our environment); weird, but there you go...

Re:When you drop a book...

[hitmark]

I wonder if the kids had more of their "life" on the pad then the adults.

Re:When you drop a book...

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a son with severe autism, who uses an ipad to communicate. He's non verbal, and has a low IQ. Not only has he instinctively figured the iPad out, and used it in ways we never dreamed possible, but he's pretty rough on the thing. He's tried to eat it, he's dropped it, slept on it (he is 9, so not a tiny tot), sat on it, gotten it wet many times, (Both from the above mentioned trying to eat it, and from having it near liquids) and it is still fine. We got a great case (gumdrop) and although I don't recommend doing what he does, it's still fine once you take the beat up case off. We also paid for one of those "if you smash it under your car we'll replace it" plans, which I normally avoid. If I knew the case was going to be this good...