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 2013-06-18T11:19:07 -05.00 RobAbel 5 http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=271 2013-03-11T03:44:42 -05.00 RobAbel 5 I tried to check 20thingsilearned.com and either the site is down right now or it is down completely.

I think that pdf is still a good platform for an ebook. It is the platform of choice for most online publishers and it can be read on some devices, like the Nook. I don't own a Kindle so I don't know about that, but I would think all tablets will be able to work with a pdf.]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=271 2013-02-11T11:45:18 -05.00 RobAbel 5
I think the issue will remain with all emerging technologies until there is a stand out Worldwide Technical Governing body to oversee the implementation of standards. A sad but unfortunate fact.]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=271 2012-10-15T19:33:09 -05.00 RobAbel 5
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 RobAbel 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 RobAbel 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 RobAbel 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 RobAbel 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=271 2009-12-08T06:55:41 -05.00 RobAbel 5
As the various e-Book reader alternatives for education emerge: Kindle, Sony, Nook, Plastic Logic, Apple Tablet, NetBooks, Mobile Phones, etc - it is becoming more and more obvious that a lack of cooperation on standards among the companies involved is going to slow progress in terms of what we need for effective educational scenarios.

Educational scenarios require interactivity, collaboration, and online assessment to take us to the next level. Yes, I know that some of the current pilots with e-Books are primarily looking at e-Books as a way to "save paper" and printing costs. However, the devices are not good enough yet to be as good as books - and we are a ways off from that. Yes, i can read the text on the train or the bus or wherever with my e-reader. However, it's a poor excuse for a real textbook in education right now.

The big problem is that even to just get to this "low bar" the users and business models are tripped up by a lack of interoperability. Click here for a great article that explains the dilemmas facing users.. Every book provider (publisher - large or small), will need to provide their content and different formats for every reader device. The big problem with this is that it expends unnecessary resources on stuff that should be easy. Now, fast forward to what we really need - e-Books that interact with a whole variety of online learning applications, learning management systems, collaboration tools, etc. and, well, how is that going to work when all the e-Readers use different formats?

It's not. It's going to be a problem that is going to slow down the progress we need to make in education. This is what I call the Google-Apple-Google-Amazon (GAGA) syndrome. The GAGA syndrome (Google is counted twice because they are by far the worst offender) is really a business strategy which says: If we create our own format/approach and use our marketing muscle/market share to force the content suppliers to our defacto standard the consumer doesn't care and we will solidify our market position (because in a competitive world there are limits to how many company specific formats any one entity can work with). It's called the GAGA syndrome because it is a self-absorbed kind of "leadership".

So, in IMS my hope is that we can work with enough of the providers to replace the GAGA syndrome with standards that will enable our market to move forward instead of running in place.

-Rob Abel]]> http://www.imsglobal.org/community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=102&threadid=249 2009-11-19T09:25:56 -05.00 RobAbel 1