Welcome to Session 9
You can't talk about eBooks and Digital Content and not address Apple's dominance in the tablet arena. There's no doubt that their current market share (61% in Q3 of 2011) is a force to be reckoned with. I've taught this course a few times before, but its content and focus has shifted a tremendous amount. What was important and trendy in the 2010 Spring semester is very different today. The first iPads didn't hit the shelves until April of 2010. No one could have predicted the explosive growth, so given this information I've decided to spend the bulk of this week on Apple's iPad and the new iBooks product.
In March of 2012 Apple came out with their newest version of the iPad. Some call it the iPad 3, but that's not official.
Learn about it here, but I warn you, you'll probably want to buy one after this:
Then see some of the engineers demo the product:
And lastly, here are some of the additional features:
In March of 2012 Apple came out with their newest version of the iPad. Some call it the iPad 3, but that's not official.
Learn about it here, but I warn you, you'll probably want to buy one after this:
Then see some of the engineers demo the product:
And lastly, here are some of the additional features:
Now let's transition to their most recent publicity hype for the new iBooks project called the Apple Education Event read about it here. Let's remember though that as interesting as this sounds it's all just a big commercial. Apple's in the business of making money, so you won't find many mentions of Open Content. The first 10 minutes are just talking, but the demonstration starts around minute 10.
Now a few of you may be interested in learning how to create books using Apple's iBooks Author tool. It may be too advanced for most of you, but if you ever want to learn how you can always come back to our class web blog here and refresh your memories. We hear about that here.
Now if you wanted to find textbooks for your iPad then you can see an overview here:
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Now the flipside
We've now seen the promos, infomercials, and Apple employee demos, so let's balance things out with some outside reviews, analysis, and feedback.
First let's start with a webcast recording from Edukwest entitled: "What do iBooks mean for the eBook/eTextbook industry?"
You can take a break now! Go for a walk and clear your head. I'm sure that's been a lot of video. When you come back I'd like you to read, "The new iPad (2012) review" from iMore. They have a nice breakdown of the pros, cons, and overall assessment.
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Next you can use the following three sections as a go-to guide to help you answer most of the faq's.
2012 iPad buyer's guide
2012 iPad user's guide
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And we'll end this week with some of the general stats for the iPad and when it will be available around the world for those of us taking this course from outside the US.
Key features: 2048×1536 264dpi Retina display,Apple A5X processor, 5 megapixel/1080p video iSight camera, HSPA+ 42mbps/LTE 72mbps networking.
Pricing: Wi-Fi $499/16GB, $599/32GB, $699/64GB; Wi-Fi + 3G/LTE $629/16GB, $729/32GB, $829/64GB
Availability: March 16 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, the U.K. and 8 other regions; available March 25 in Italy, Spain, Ireland, Mexico, and 21 other regions
I hope I didn't drown you too much in everything 'iPad'. See you next week.
17 comments:
Information overload!!! I now feel even more left behind in this tech world than I did before. I just get to grips with one thing and then the next pad/tablet/handheld/laptop/notebook/smartphone/device that will make the quality of my life sooo much better comes along. OK the new ‘I must have Pad’ is amazing and very cool especially in the hands of the Apple chaps and app guru’s. Although I had a good chuckle when one Ibook guru couldn’t read his notes and the screen kept going back to the previous page. That’s what happens to me all the time and I end up with a very expensive typewriter and music device. I don’t game, I don’t do graphics and I don’t want to play music on a device bigger than a paperback book. Will I get the new IPad? Probably not, after all they’ll be a bigger and better version out on the market next week. The Ibook app looks very good, especially given the fact that Apple are in partnership with the big 3 of text book publishing, it’s a new world for those corporations and it’ll be an interesting evolution. Loved the arguments against Apple and its proprietyness (is that even a word, not according to my $1,100 spell checking typewriter from Dell). Kindle v Apple v Microsoft (soon to join the fray) v Blackberry (soon to leave the fray, dump your shares boys and girls the berry has fallen off the tree), it’s going to be a long war. Does the consumer win, probably not because they leave us all in confusion and a house full of chargers. Which reminds me, why somebody doesn’t come up with a USB at one end that has a number of chargers at the other (say a kindle, an Apple, and an HTC smartphone charger), instead of carrying 3 or 4 different chargers, it would all be in one? Go ahead and take the idea if you want, invent it; I give you a creative commons license. It’s been a very interesting and illuminating course, thanks everyone good luck with the final.
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I am amazed at what these electronic readers can do. I am finding that the formats and file types are becoming too much to keep track of. Having both Kindle and Apple products there is a lot of fiddling with formatting and converting of files. It reminds me of way back in the day when Mac and Windows platforms didn't coordinate with many file formats. It makes me think that we should have experts at school to help us out (doesn't happen) and that we should have time to figure out all of the formats, files types etc. I don't know what the answer is.... I think that we as educators are going to need to let students help us -the "teachers" with the advances in technology - the kids can figure it out far faster than we can. We will have to become facilitators of how to learn the new technology - guiding students in the skills of learning new things rather than being masters of the actual knowledge which is changing on a daily basis.
I agree with you that our role has definitely changed from being masters of knowledge to guides along the path of learning.
I appreciated the introduction to the new ipad. It helped to have the differences explained in more detail. However, I was surprised that two out of three of the demos were for using games on the new ipad. Although the display looks fabulous, I just can't imagine plunking down that much money for gaming.
I've been very reluctant to buy an IPad becuase it's always felt more like an expensive toy than an essential tool to me. That being said, these videos totally made me want one. Apple is incredibly good at marketing their products.
As an English teacher, IBooks is particularly exciting to me. Some of my students really struggle with the vocabulary in older texts, and being able to instantly look up the meanings of unfamiliar words could make a huge difference in their reading experience. The speed with which they could look up these words might prevent them from getting frustrated and giving up on a text.
I love the idea of students being able to annotate a text instantly. I try to teach them to annotate, but since they can't write in our paper textbooks, this can be a major challenge. I often have them use Post-It notes, but that can get very cumbersome.
Read the outside opinions of IBooks reinforced a lot of the concerns I've always had about using IPads in the classroom. To me, the investment would only be worthwhile if schools can get access to all of the texts that they need for a reasonable price. This does not appear to be the case yet.
I do believe that tablets and E-books are the future of education, but I still feel like we are a few years away from these technologies being viable in a low income school district like mine. The hardware and software are too expensive, the software library is too limited, and the liscencing rules need to be simplified. However, I do look forward to the time when I can fully use these tools in my classroom.
I never intended to buy an iPad, but I didn't turn my husband down when he offered me his older one, when he upgraded. I used it sparingly to begin with, and my children were actually on it more than I was.
I found it a wonderful tool for them. I bought many more apps for them, then I'd ever thought I'd buy - educational, games, coloring, and books.
The interactive book apps can be marvelous (words are highlighted as they are narrated). They can also be distracting, as most of the book apps I've bought also come with games and the elements that make it interactive. However, my four-year-olds do pick up on the story, so they are listening.
I slowly started to use it more myself, and I now use it more than my laptop - at least for certain things. What is so awesome about the iPad is accessibility. You open your special cover or push a button, and the iPad is on. No more waiting for things to spool up, as we've always had to do with laptops and desktops.
Same thing with apps. You touch a particular app, and it opens. Unlike waiting for Pages to go through the process or the Internet, etc. For example, if I want to access the Common Core State Standards, I only have to open the iPad, touch the free app I downloaded, and it's all there at my fingertips - in less than five seconds.
I plan to use it to sign out books in my library this coming year. We recently changed catalog systems, and it's now online. So, instead of being stuck behind my desk, I can walk around the room, and still sign out books.
I'm also going to use it during lessons. I bought a dongle and can hook it up to a digital projector. I have an app that lets me write directly onto the screen, so that will be projected nice and big for everyone to see. If I have Apple TV (God, do I wish I could have that in my library), I could eliminate the dongle, and walk freely around the classroom, while still having everything projected onto the screen.
Accessibility. That's what the iPad gives us. Maybe other tablets do as well, but they don't seem to compare. At least for now, Apple's tablet is at the top of the heap.
One complaint I've seen with the iPad is on the issue of storage. iPads only come in 16, 32, and 64GB. The are still making the iPad 2, but only with 16GB - their effort to have a budget machine.
Trust me, 16GB won't be enough for long. Even if you use various Clouds. Apps alone can take up many gigabytes of storage. I bought an iPad for my daughter on eBay, and didn't even think about storage. She has 16 GB, and I have to keep picking and choosing what to delete.
Unlike her brother (who has 64GB on his), she has no pictures, less than a fifth of the particular cartoon episodes they both favor which her brother has, and I've eliminated all but the Apps she uses most often.
So, not enough money for a 64, but you're afraid it won't be enough? Get a wireless external hard drive. I've been pricing them, and they are expensive, but if you add up a 16GB iPad, plus the cost of a 500GB wireless external hard drive, that is still cheaper than a 64GB iPad. And, you'll have a huge amount of storage - storage that can be used with other devices too, not just your iPad.
Plus, the one I looked at was pretty small - very portable. You could easily fit it into your pocket or a purse.
Anyway, just a thought.
Kaline, thanks for the advice about the external drive. I bought an iPad2 just after the prices dropped. I felt the 2 suited my needs, I did not think I needed 3G capability –what I really liked was the video capability. I make my own videos for my classes. I did not however, consider how much storage I would need. I may be ok because I will upload the videos to my YouTube account.
While school work was my primary reason for getting the iPad, I also find I am using it more. The portability is so convenient.
I too appreciate Apple’s ability to make you want it! The iPad 3 seems to have some cool toys. I am disappointed, though not surprised, that they own your work – if you want to publish it through iBooks. I am still unclear if you could publish it to an OER site. As long as you are not getting paid for it, and share it freely does it still fall under their control? I am going to look into this because the iBooks Author was something I could see using with the students to build our own text, or to create my own texts for the class. I did not see anything / read anything about whether there was a capability to download other things like YouTube video, etc. into the iBooks Author and if you do, are there any copyright issues?
Good Luck with your final projects everybody. I have really enjoyed this class and the interesting blogs.
I am overwhelmed. My district gave my the first iPad, and I am still trying to tackle it. The pie in the sky idea was to have one in the hand of every student by the next school year. When the superintendent announced this, the teachers were incredulous. Our district, like Josh's, is very poor. As it turned out, the super was wrong. The iPads we could afford were put into the hands of just a few teachers. Sadly, there is not a whole lot you can do with a class when the students don't have the iPad themselves. You can hook them up to a smartboard, however. Here are some recommended apps:
http://www.teachhub.com/20-amazing-ipad-apps-educators
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/03/15-favorite-ipad-apps-as-selected-by-teachers/
Kaline, is the connector really called a "dongle"? Ha!
It is interesting, and telling, how the presenter kept saying that Apple was in the "education business". I was excited to see the digital textbooks. They are amazing, and for $14.99, a real bargain. I was sad to see that the $14.99 is just a "pilot price", however.
I am sold on the photo editing sofware! Will the first version of the iPad support it, I wonder...
I agree with Simon...information overload! My district piloted two carts of ipads last year for our k-3 classes. Teachers were able to take the ipads home over weekends, and breaks. I must say, I have had one all summer and have to remind myself to play with it. Between my laptop and my phone, I don't see the need for it. I have a feeling if I ever got used to it, it might replace the laptop for portability reasons especially with the advances the ipad3 has to offer.
Kathleen ha a great point about the technology needing to be in the learners hands. They are the ones who need to touch, experiment & learn. they are the ones growing up with these tools. Of course as teachers, we need to be able to use them too, but just having a few devices in a building is not effective.
There is always something bigger/smaller, better, faster, etc... coming out. However I think it's important for schools and districts to consider their population, funding sources, etc... and make decisions based on what best meets their needs.
Sometimes, less truly is more.
I've learned so much from this class, especially the comments and insights from everyone after viewing the lessons! I'm looking forward to the final projects!
Well. The most surprising thing I was reminded of from this week’s viewings and readings was that the iPad has only been around for a couple of years. Stunning, considering the amount of integration, not only into the general public, but into schools. I would not have watched any of these tech videos on my own, but I am thankful to have done so just to be able to understand what the talk is about.
I have to say, I do like the textbook layout that was being shown, particularly the difference between the portrait and landscape views. As far as the price of textbooks go, I went to a publisher site to check the price of a textbook we use at school. The Apple price was $1.00 more than the version available for PC’s. I’d suspect any big jump in digital textbooks would be from the publishers and not Apple.
Still the big problem I have with Apple is that they don’t cross platforms so a school really has to be all in with Apple devices, and that is very expensive.
Kaline, thanks for the idea of taking the tablet around the library and checking out books. It would also be handy to sit down at a table, or be in the stacks, and browse the catalog with a student. I too am tired at being stuck at the circ desk when all of the excitement is out on the floor. When we finally get our iPads in the library that’s the first thing I’m going to look into!
Thanks everyone - it was fun being in class with you all! Good luck on your final projects and with the upcoming school year!
Not arguing against the technology, but I did find it a little humorous pointing out that the text books only last five years or so, when pushing an upgrade to a new device when this is the third version in two years.
And just as I was finishing up on iPad information, I saw a segment on Amazon's new developments, so I thought that I would share that here too.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/259682/amazon_readying_mulitple_new_kindle_tablets_according_to_staples.html
I do wonder if this is going to deepen the digital divide as more affluent students will all have their own devices that students on the lower end of the economic spectrum will not be able to afford. Plus more affluent students will be getting the up to date releases, our school is purchasing the iPad 2.
Kathleen, thanks for the links for apps. I've forwarded them to add to the list I'm compiling for my staff this fall. I fear they will be like me and others in the class and looking at an information overload! But as long as the information is stored where they can go back and look at it later, I figure it is all good.
Where do I start? As I have stated before, my district has two iPad sets with the MacBook necessary to run the iPads. I downloaded the free iBooks Author program and was amazed at how easy it was to create a textbook relative to your classroom. I liked how I could use resources I already created and could integrate the multimedia presentations directly into the iBook. What I did not like was that it would only work on the iPad devices and could not be transferred to other devices such as our school Community Learning Environment (CLE).
A group from my district went to Apple HQ in Boston during April vacation to meet Apple representatives and have them answer our questions. It was confirmed that the books would only be in the iBook format which kind of made the group back peddle. Each student would have to have an iPad, the district would have to transition to Mac equipment, and we would have to purchase textbooks. YIKES!
That is why I am glad I took this course! There are many other resources out there that could be used to create eTextbooks. I think it may be too soon to hop onto the Apple craze for our district. They are too expensive and honestly too controlling. There are serious control issues... :) The pros and cons abound.
I am not sure what direction our district will head with the 1-1 computing model but I seriously doubt it will be through Apple.
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