Kindle DX: Cost Effective?

Pam — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:18:15 +0000

I’m still ruminating on digital textbooks. Not only is the state of Texas moving forward on getting ebooks approved as bonafide textbooks, but California’s Governor Swarzenegger just launched an initiative to get free digital content developed for high school students. I call that progress! And probably not too coincidentally, this week also marked Amazon’s entry into the e-textbook field with the announcement that their new Kindle DX will be the end-all device for both students and newspaper readers.

I took some time to review all of these announcements. While I am excited about the DX, I feel that $500 is still a very high pricetag. One of the goals here is to reduce students’ costs. And while they are heavier, netbooks, and even notebook computers, can be had for $500, and some e-textbook providers are claiming that Amazon’s prices will be higher (than current e-textbook versions sold for computers) for their digital versions. Where’s the savings? Yeah, the Kindle is sleek, lightweight and will hold thousands of titles (how many does a student need?) But a netbook is also a computer, with internet access, word processing, spreadsheets and database programs. The Kindle is, well, an ereader.

I’m certainly not denigrating Amazon’s direction. I’m actually quite impressed and hoping their trial run in 5 universities reveals lots of good information about students’ needs and habits. Forum boards are buzzing, however, with reactions from students worldwide, most saying the device is “way too expensive” and that textbooks will still be as much as 50% the cost of hardbacks. They also mention that electronic texts “can’t be sold back” after the school year, and that they think, for the price, the DX should “at least be in color.” A few even speak about pirating the ebook versions and thereby paying nothing.

We’ll see. I’ve written to Governor Arnold to offer my help with regard to getting the free digital books into our high schools. It’s the least I can do.

Ebooks in the Classroom? Bravo, Y’all!

Pam — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:51:57 +0000

I was delighted to discover this story online this morning, about how the Texas legislature has given a preliminary approval to a bill that will allow schools to use textbook money to buy ereaders and etextbooks for students. Do you get how important this step is? It is right on so many levels. From The Houston Chronicle:

“Schools would still have the option of buying hardbacks.

“Current law restricts schools’ use of their textbook allotments to traditional books, but some school districts use local tax dollars to purchase electronic learning materials and technology.

“The new proposal would ‘level the playing field and ensure all districts have access to funds that can be used to purchase materials above and beyond traditional textbooks if that will best meet the needs of their local students,’ said Jennifer Bergland, an advocate for the Texas Computer Educators Association.”

As a parent, I am immediately relieved to know that students can literally get out from under the weight of those gargantuan tomes. Doctors nationwide will tell you how damaging a 70+ lb pack is on a child’s back. But beyond that, it just makes sense to have a digital resource that can be updated at will. How about the next time those in the mighty halls of science decide to “downgrade a planet” or reclassify a bug? A simple download will “correct” all those science books. History is made everyday, and students can be automatically enlightened as world events occur. The functionality of Amazon’s “Whispernet” comes to mind.

As an author, what this means to me as that ebooks will become more commonplace. Here is a new inroad into encouraging the public to accept the digital age of books. College students who invest in an ereader will appreciate that the device can also be used for entertainment. Technology will provide teachers with ways to make assignments available for download, even sending grades and test results directly to their students’ machines.

Pundits, of course, are decrying the cost of the readers and saying that parents will likely get “stuck” with the cost of the devices. That’s not how I read it, but every state and district will deal with this issue individually. I can’t wait for this movement to spread here to California, where schools are digging deep for ways to save money. I, for one, intend to explore what I can do to help that process along.

Beacon Street » textbooks

Kindle DX: Cost Effective?

Ebooks in the Classroom? Bravo, Y’all!