Nature reports today that 1200 students at the University of Texas, Austin are part of an experiment in which they are using Amazon’s Kindle 2 instead of print textbooks. At $359 a pop, one can only hope that the textbooks themselves can be downloaded at a reasonable cost. The new version holds 1500 books.
The Textbook of the Future?
Back in August, Ars Technica reported some of the motivation behind the move by Kindle. Obviously, if this takes hold, it could help both the student worried about textbook prices and the publishers, who get totally ripped off by the used book markets, which keep the cost of new books high in the first place. If we could cover our costs over the entire number of students using our work, instead of just the first people to buy it over the three to four year life of the book, the cost to each individual student would be much more reasonable. There would be no resale market for textbooks using this system, which would make everybody, producer and consumer alike, very happy.
Apparently, the new Kindle 2 allows you to highlight text, and a qwerty keyboard lets you take notes, too. Those features get rid of two of my major concerns about using this type of technology. On the other hand, I’m a bit of a kinesthetic learner–there’s something about writing things down that helps me remember, and typing just isn’t the same. Right now, I’m working my way through Nolte’s The Human Brain: An Introduction to its Functional Anatomy and Blumenfeld’s Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases, and I still like to highlight and write margin notes. I even included a section in my Discovering Biological Psychology 2e Student Study Guide about how to get the most out of a textbook, so obviously I think there’s more to reading than just reading.
What I would really love to write would be a truly interactive electronic textbook, where links to animations, videos, definitions, quizzes, and other resources could be woven into the text itself. But I’m not sure I see a huge advantage of the Kindle 2 approach, other than a cost savings, which is always welcome.
6 Comments
steelersfan086 · April 2, 2009 at 11:01 pm
This electronic textbook system seems to be fullproof yet beneath the surface, there are many disadvantages. I agree that I remember much better when I write things down. When it comes time to take an exam I can remember where things were in my notes and where certain key terms were located on a page. It would be difficult to maintain this skill if I no longer took physical notes, but instead typed. Also, what would happen if a professor wanted the newest edition of the textbook? Does this system automatically update or would the student be stuck with the old editions and suffer not having the newest material necessary?
However, the cost savings is extremely desirable (naturally) but is it worth it to sacrifice having the new editions of the books and not be able to write the notes yourself? I think, for now, printed textbooks are the way to go until there are no longer any cheaper alternatives, such as Amazon.
Sierrasmargon · April 6, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I agree that these books would be a highly effective way to save paper and ink in the printing process but I’m not so sure HOW much money these would save the students. Considering all the new websites where students can sell back there books via the internet instead of going through the buy back systems of the bookstores the $’80 textbook used edition doesnt seem too bad. These books can be sold back on student networks for $10 less and still be twice as much as the bookstore would give you. Unless these book prices on the kindle are significantly lower.. it might not be as appealing as they think.
ACroson · April 12, 2009 at 2:29 pm
I agree, reading books on a screen is not for me, either. To be honest, the fact that I type faster than I write means that I’m not thinking as much about what I am taking notes on. I’m not sure if a Kindle screen is as bad as a computer screen, but I know it’s not highly suggested that you spend as much time staring at any type of electronic screen as you should be spending reading textbook. Apparently, the Kindles are a huge debate with the eco-friendly community (which I am too naive to be apart of!) because of manufacturing costs, and even the fair-trade issue is brought up (http://ecoquaker.com/2009/03/30/is-the-kindle-eco-friendly/). I probably won’t be getting something so risky until it’s widely accepted or maybe even required.
shaunashea · April 12, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Honestly, when I heard about the online text service, I instantly knew that it was not for me personally. I enjoy highlighting what I read, taking notes, and in doing so, I actually learn the material. Perhaps I am old-fashioned, but I enjoy having the book itself in front of me as I read and study.
In addition, I do not sell my text books back because it is a complete rip-off. I keep at least all of the psychology textbooks (my major) and am trying to build a library. With the online text books, that would not be possible.
I understand that the online service may save people money, but for me personally, it is not a desirable choice.
LeaKnopf · May 26, 2009 at 2:10 pm
My boyfriend and I were at Borders a couple of weeks ago and they had a model of the Kindle. Its amazing- one device that electronically stores as many as hundreds of books. The really cool thing about it is the fact that it can store all of those books AND their bookmarks and you can find them with just a click! Its a space saver and might be a money saver in the long run.
My boyfriend loved it so much that he even went so far as to pursue it on Amazon. However, the $200+ pricetag was just a little too much considering a very few percentage of textbooks actually use it. It might be a good investment in the future when, as no longer students, the majority of our book spending money will not be going towards textbooks, but leisure reading. It would still take a long time to pay for itself, but I think this is where our society is eventually gonna be going.
However, technology can never replace the feel and smell of a physical book in our hands and the feel of turning those pages.
NikkiNoroian · October 10, 2009 at 3:16 pm
E books aren’t for me! My professor for my genetics class required all of her students to purchase the online version of the textbook. Although it is cheaper to buy these electronic versions I would much rather purchase the hard copy. I do agree that the Kindle 2 with the qwerty keyboard is definitely an attractive feature that would make it more useful for “kinesthetic learners.” I am sure there will be additional features available on the Kindles of the future, but I still have one major problem with them– how devastating would it be if it malfunctioned and all of your notes were lost!
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