http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/index.cfm?forumid=11 FuseTalk Standard Edition http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=271 2012-10-15T19:33:09 -05.00 rabel 2
The site provides an almost equivalent user experience compared to an eBook and even offers some novel surprises.]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=429 2010-07-02T13:06:15 -05.00 rabel 1
This week Amazon announced a new large screen Kindle DX. Basically the same as before but a brighter screen/clearer image - even better in direct sunlight than before.

As pointed out in the Wall Street Journal, the prior large screen device has already failed in education:
Amazon's Kindle DX Re-Enters Ring by Geoffrey A. Fowler and Shira Ovide, Wall Street Journal, 2 July 2010

Also, this week, there was more news about U.S. Fed warnings about how Kindle fails the important test in education of accessibility for the blind - making it a legal liability:
Inaccessible E-Readers May Run Afoul of the Law, Feds Warn Colleges by Marc Perry, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 29 June 2010

Well, there are no perfect solutions for textbooks on e-readers in education, but it certainly seems that the iPad is distancing itself as a possible way forward on an almost daily basis. All we need is an iPad e-Book app that is based on open standards and lets anyone play regardless of the distribution channel . . .

Hey - on the bright side for Amazon at least the Kindle may be the choice for students taking courses on the beach!

-Rob Abel]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=349 2010-04-16T09:03:32 -05.00 rabel 1 namely the bar has been raised now for the reader devices to become more computers and app machines and that each major vendor with a direct link to consumers is relentlessly pursuing their individual proprietary platform strategies.

Also, as I have written here before, the hope for the education segment is that a new and upcoming provider will "break the mold" by implementing open standards like IMS Common Cartridge - that fit the needs of the education segment.

I'm very happy to report that we have one such provider - Entourage Edge - coming to our Learning Impact conference, May 17-20 in Long Beach, CA, USA. Entourage Edge is also giving away one of their e-Book reader "Dualbooks" at the conference to those that visit their booth and enter. Now, this is pretty neat because since this is a small conference - 250 people or so - you actually have a pretty good shot at winning.

The other important point to mention is that I expect that some of the institutional members of IMS will want to pilot the Edge - and IMS will help facilitate those discussions at the conference and beyond.

We have a way to go in terms of the evolution of these devices as they become more like the hybrid computers/eReaders that are needed. But, it is clear to me that a platform like the Edge is a way to see where this can really go from an institutional adoption perspective - as opposed to the direct to consumer iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc.

I look forward to seeing you at Learning Impact 2010! If you come you will find out from the leaders in digital education content and e-Books - such as CourseSmart, VitalSource, CafeScribe, Pearson, Cengage, McGraw-Hill, and Connexions about where things are really headed . . .

-Rob Abel]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=319 2010-02-19T08:45:46 -05.00 rabel 1
Textbook Firms Ink E-Deals For iPad by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Yukari Kane - Wall Street Journal, 3 February 2010

Also, as previously discussed here, ongoing news about how the iPad format - allowing for more "computer-like" interactivity than a Kindle-like device, is changing the pricing model for e-Books - see:

Hachette Enters the E-Book Fray, Saying It, Too, Wants New Pricing by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Geoffrey A. Fowler, Wall Street Journal, 5 February 2010

And, now, news of responses by the PC Makers, such as H-P, with netbooks of similar or better capability than the iPad. See:

PC Makers Ready iPad Rivals by Justin Scheck and Nick Wingfield, Wall Street Journal, 18 February, 2010

Something that the education community needs to push for is the use of open standards in e-Textbooks. This is because we cannot have students and teachers locked into a particular type of device or, perhaps most importantly, the online store from which books can be purchased. Unfortunately, one can only assume that ScrollMotion will be the "Apple approach" and lock buyers in. My hope is that organizations such as H-P, Intel, or Microsoft will work with educational publishers to take the higher ground of standards-based offerings. As discussed elsewhere in these posts, the IMS Digital Learning Services Standards (we have already shown how they can be used to interact with e-Books from CourseSmart and higher end online applications from publishers), in combination with other e-Book specific standards, are a perfect match for these types of devices - which are much closer to "computers" than "readers."

- Rob Abel]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=299 2010-01-19T13:07:49 -05.00 rabel 1
Publisher, Apple Talk E-Books For Tablet 19 January 2010

- that Harper Collins is negotiating e-Book distribution with Apple for the rumored tablet device sometimes referred to as the "iPad" - now scheduled to be announced at a January 27 San Francisco event.

What is interesting about this is that it acknowledges the publisher opportunity & the educational user necessity of what is beginning to be termed the "enhanced e-Book." What is the enhanced e-Book? An e-Book that contains rich media and interactive features. Yes, kind of like a hybrid online course/e-Book. In IMS we sometimes refer to it as the "Educational e-Book".

The enhanced e-Book is a major motivator for content providers because rather than a reduced price text-only book ($9.99), it is potentially a premium priced product. Not unlike the online "homework applications" that most educational publishers are providing today. See the article on Harper Collins challenges in dealing with the Amazon $9.99 e-Book.

What does this have to do with e-Book readers? Simple. Kindle cannot handle this type of content and interactivity. If the iPad can, then it will make it and devices like it the more likely platform for Educational e-Books.]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=294 2010-01-10T12:16:50 -05.00 rabel 1
That seems to be at least one implication of the mad rush to market of all the Kindle-like devices showing up at the consumer Electronics show this January. For a rundown, check out this Wall Street Journal Article:

More Makers Jump Into the E-Reader Fray by Geoffrey A. Fowler

For gadget lovers there is certainly no lack of innovation in these devices, as limited as they are for practical purposes. The Que is the latest entry from Plastic Logic, the company that provides the technology for the Kindle. The eDGE from Entourage Systems has also received press because it features two screens - one with eInk ala Kindle and one with LCD like your laptop or phone - in a foldout design. Samsung is jumping in with readers that feature handwriting recognition - like the tablet computers many feel could play a bigger role in education if done properly.

Then, of course, the backdrop to all this is rumors of the "iPad" coming from Apple - expected to be announced in a few weeks. While I have not received a briefing on this device - which is apparently under the tightest non-disclosure - I think we can all guess that this will be something like an overgrown iPod that can deal nicely with commercial / popular print media in some digital format. See more thoughts on the "iPad" and its potential impact here from Business Week:

Five Ways Apple's Tablet May Change the World by Ben Kunz

What does all this mean for those of us grappling with technology in education?

Well, that depends on how well these devices will be able to accommodate educational applications and scenarios. As I have summarized elsewhere in these forums, not very well at this point in time. These devices are mostly turning out to be something good for tinkerer faculty who want to distribute pdfs - and even that hasn't turned out so well so far due to technical limitations. We have certainly had the obligatory early pilots - just like we had with the iPod - and with about the same results - no clear advantage/benefit over existing laptop computers.

That said, I am excited that we will find one or two suppliers in the mix that want to really work with the education industry to meet our needs. I don't know who that will be yet. It will almost certainly not be Apple or Amazon as the more direct consumer pull a provider of these devices has the least likely they are to cater to the needs of a specific segment like education. One must understand that the "end game" here is (perhaps obvious) is the sale of the content. In my past life in the semiconductor world we used to say: "$10 of chips equates to $100 in devices and $1000 in services." What this means is that the chips in your phone or e-Reader can eventually be produced at scale for $x0 and that there is then typically a 10x multiplier on the cost of the device and another 10x multiplier on the consumer services cost (like the subscription fees for your cell phone or the content/other fees associated with your e-Reader). Organizations like Amazon and Apple feel they can reach the education "users" through the consumer market - and that through that reach they can compel the content providers to "play on their platform."

Since in education we would like a more standards-based approach, we are going to have to find some wiling hardware providers that work with organizations like ours - IMS Global Learning Consortium - and the educational publishers, eBook providers, bookstore operators, and educational application providers sitting around our table. The good news is that with the proliferation of hardware device suppliers we will almost certainly be able to accomplish this. It is only a matter of time. The other good news is that the educational publishers have enough resources to make this happen with the specific goals of education in mind.

So, stay tuned . . . .

-Rob Abel]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=271 2009-12-08T06:55:41 -05.00 rabel 2