[CALIBK12] GEN: Digital Textbooks-- bring 'em on

[Karen Cole]

You rock, Tony!  I love your vision for the future as it relates to
"textbooks", in whatever format that might be.  (Is anybody listening
out there?!)

Here's to fewer chiropractor visits and to more time for actual
kid-centered and library-specific tasks, like those great book reviews
you create.

-- Karen

 

Karen Cole, Librarian

St. Michael's Episcopal Day School

2140 Carmichael, CA  95608

916-485-3418

FAX 916-485-9084

karencole at smeds.net <mailto:karencole at smeds.net> 

 

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. 
~Jorge Luis Borges

 

P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu
[mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of Doyle_Tony
Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 9:25 AM
To: CALIBK12
Subject: [CALIBK12] GEN: Digital Textbooks-- bring 'em on

 

My library is a dangerous place.  Textbook avalanches are constant
threat.  Every new adoption seems to have more and more ancilary
materials that need to be stored (and rarely get used).  All of my book
carts have welding scars on the legs where they have collapsed and been
repaired by the shop teacher.  Luckily no toes have been lost to these
collapses.  In a couple of weeks the annual flood of textbook returns
begins and I will need to see my chiropractor every 3 or 4 days to help
deal with textbook-induced back pain.

 

E-Textbooks? What's taking so #%^%$*& long?  Open source or proprietary,
I don't care.  Even if the combined cost of a reader for every student
and the content is the same as what we pay for the paper and ink
versions it will be worth it in so many ways.

 

Here's my vision:

Follett partners with Renaissance to create an AlphaSmart-like reader
(light weight, tough, adaptable, built in word processor) that
integrates with a new Destiny e-text module.  Kids can log in to Destiny
via a wi-fi link or USB plug and automatically download the texts they
need.  Destiny manages the number of downloads to check that licensing
agreements are being obeyed and, using enrollment data imported from
Aeries or SASI, ensures Williams Act compliance.  Teachers can push
content (supplemental readings, worksheets, quizzes) to their students'
machines  When the device is turned on a splash screen reads, "This
device is checked out to Joey Smith." The texts self-delete at the end
of the school year.  A built in electronic lo-jack chip disables devices
that have been reported stolen when they connect to the Internet.

 

Okay all you vendor-lurkers, get to work on that :-)

 

Tony

 

--------------------------------------------------

Anthony Doyle, Teacher Librarian

Livingston High School

Livingston, CA

tdoyle at muhsd.k12.ca.us<mailto:tdoyle at muhsd.k12.ca.us>

 

What am I reading now? http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/whats-he-reading-now/

 

"When I read about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut,
I can only think that American society has found one more way to destroy
itself." (Isaac Asimov, from his autobiography I Asimov)

 

The contents of this message are private and are intended for the
recipients named in the To and CC fields.  You may not forward this
message without the expressed permission of the author.  The contents of
this message are the work of the author and do not represent the
opinions or policies of the Merced Union High School District or
Livingston High School.

 

_______________________________________________

CALIBK12 site list

CALIBK12 at lists.sjsu.edu

http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/calibk12

 

For information about the Calibk12 listserve, please

visit  http://www.calibk12.net.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.sjsu.edu/pipermail/calibk12/attachments/20090508/058de0a1/attachment.html