It seems like the superintendent promoting this and many of the posts here are ignoring a fundamental problem: content. While it is nice to write about how great e-texts would be, it's not as if publishers are going to give that material away, even if it exists. So the cost of textbooks will still be there.
Additionally, the answer to better education away from the textbook doesn't seem to be taking away books, which, as it turns out, can be valuable resources. The answer would seem to be giving teachers better training and forcing them to be accountable.
In my experience as a teacher, the answer has never been a different avenue for transmittal of information, it has been a better transmitter.
Google's true genius might be the way they add new features...and let it all get advertised by users. Instead of the Yahoo model of cluttering up the main page so much that is unusable, Google just adds a feature--and people find out when they try it, or it ends up on a site like Slashdot
I hate to be the guy who criticizes "news" items for being old, but this is definitely old news. Google has had this feature for months, at least.
I have been demonstrating it in workshops for teachers for some time.
It's interesting how little Google publicizes some of these features, though. Maybe the homepage needs to be a little more cluttered there.
And the worldest highest concentration of self-appointed experts who do nothing but criticize the efforts of others in a vain attempt to build self-esteem!
And it makes you wonder if there won't be a typical Apple result. The company is innovative, no doubt, but always struggles with details. A lower cost alternative with better tech is going to take over this market--and to some extent, already has, no matter how necessary the IPod is to our "yoga tech" culture. Who writes this stuff, anyway?!?
The mozilla thing was definitely true, on both levels, in a couple of forums I frequent. It seemed to work for some people, and more importantly, some of them learned about Mozilla. Many were actually asking things like "Mozilla? Isn't that some spyware?" while there IE6 was probably mailing Bill G. their porn viewing habits in the background.
Slashdot Mirror
It seems like the superintendent promoting this and many of the posts here are ignoring a fundamental problem: content. While it is nice to write about how great e-texts would be, it's not as if publishers are going to give that material away, even if it exists. So the cost of textbooks will still be there. Additionally, the answer to better education away from the textbook doesn't seem to be taking away books, which, as it turns out, can be valuable resources. The answer would seem to be giving teachers better training and forcing them to be accountable. In my experience as a teacher, the answer has never been a different avenue for transmittal of information, it has been a better transmitter.
Google's true genius might be the way they add new features...and let it all get advertised by users. Instead of the Yahoo model of cluttering up the main page so much that is unusable, Google just adds a feature--and people find out when they try it, or it ends up on a site like Slashdot
I hate to be the guy who criticizes "news" items for being old, but this is definitely old news. Google has had this feature for months, at least. I have been demonstrating it in workshops for teachers for some time. It's interesting how little Google publicizes some of these features, though. Maybe the homepage needs to be a little more cluttered there.
And the worldest highest concentration of self-appointed experts who do nothing but criticize the efforts of others in a vain attempt to build self-esteem!
For $1,600 I would expect that it would turn on my shower in the morning, make me a cup of coffee, and clock in at work 30 minutes before I do.
And it makes you wonder if there won't be a typical Apple result. The company is innovative, no doubt, but always struggles with details. A lower cost alternative with better tech is going to take over this market--and to some extent, already has, no matter how necessary the IPod is to our "yoga tech" culture. Who writes this stuff, anyway?!?
God, I am so tired of poeples. Is that the car with the plastic shield around it?
The mozilla thing was definitely true, on both levels, in a couple of forums I frequent. It seemed to work for some people, and more importantly, some of them learned about Mozilla. Many were actually asking things like "Mozilla? Isn't that some spyware?" while there IE6 was probably mailing Bill G. their porn viewing habits in the background.