Ebooks

Many educators are embracing the use of electronic textbooks for a variety of reasons. Ken White, an instructor at Everett Community College, points out that some older students may have a hard time transitioning to e-textbooks but younger generations of students will be much more successful at making the conversion (Moving towards virtual textbooks). The trend seems to be that electronic devices of all sorts are becoming more and more popular. As these devices continue to permeate our culture, integrating them as soon and as frequently as possible into the classroom will help students adjust to using them now and in the future. White even uses the new textbook format because, “[Electronic textbooks] make me really look at my teaching” (Moving towards virtual textbooks). As a teacher, he is adopting the trend of going digital. By re-evaluating his teaching method, he will be able to approach his subject from a different angle that might be more

Electronic reading devices have become popular in recent years. Some schools have even gotten rid of paper books entirely. Their students read everything electronically instead. While eBooks have their place, their use in schools should be limited.

As demand for technology increases, many companies have begun to transfer every day items and tasks to an electronic version of the same program. A specific type of product that has been altered to be more compatible with growing technological demand is books. Before technology was popular, books were available as paperback and hardback copies only. However, as consumer demand for technology increases, tablets are becoming an asset to a person’s work materials. To accommodate for this shift in consumer wants, eBooks are created; these make up for the technological improvement and produce a cheaper alternative to actual books. The possibility of an eBook monopoly is steadily increasing and is already high

It appears that e-book publishing may have a future (PWC, nd), but many book stores are slow to acknowledge and appreciate that fact.

David Anderson, chief director for higher education at the Association of American Publishers, said that “this report is highly distorted and biased”. He also said that “comparing online open source content with textbooks is not fair” (Cost). Anderson may be right, but in the long run, America’s college students are going to be paying millions of dollars just for textbooks. There are not many effective alternatives. Digital textbooks may be an option, but right now, not everyone has access to a computer or cell phone. Therefore, students have to face the consequences of costly textbooks.

Threat of New Entrants: By the late 1980’s Super Bookstores such as Barnes & Noble caused an industry re-alignment. This new chain of individual and powerful stores, which were supported by big corporations, tapped into large economies of scales; their goal was qualifying for major volume discounts. Between 1900-2003 conglomerates confronted an increased pressure to maintain profitability while cutting costs due to large economies of scales. For instance, within the publishing industry, printing was a commodity driven by large economies of scale.

To begin with, changing to ebooks can help students in school. According to Source B it states that “ in some cases students with access to libraries were found to have done worse on standardized tests”. From this we can infer that students with the help of technology will tend to have better test scores than those who actually go to the library. In the library students are on their own with no one to help but with ebooks and technology, they would be able to find help online to look up examples for their subjects. Also, in source A it states that “Switching to ebooks will make sense for school libraries only when they result in savings of time and money that allow library staff to increase their focus on instruction and interaction with students

The Kindle, Nook, and similar e-readers were created with the hopes of keeping literature alive in the digital age by converting traditional ink texts into swipeable and chargeable electronic documents. With this shifting market, authors and publishers alike have adapted in order to keep up with demand. Authors agree to allow their books to be digitally downloadable, and the books are then made purchasable for a cheaper price than print. Since the creation of e-readers, many new publication companies operating solely electronically have popped up to offer old and new authors alike the chance to be published digitally. If an author finds it particularly difficult to get their work published traditionally, they may turn to electronic publishing in order to get their work to the

Benjamin Herold, in his article “Digital Reading Poses Learning Challenges for Students”, makes claims complementary to digital reading while acknowledging the benefits of print reading, suggesting a revision of digital reading methods that implements some of the same characteristics readers appreciate when reading from print. Herold understands the reality of the comprehensive deficiencies related to digital reading, just as Nicholas Carr established in his own article. With tablets becoming the standard mode of reading in school, Herold describes the challenges students face when studying or reading their digital textbooks before offering a converging solution that incorporates aspects of physical reading. When reading from a screen, the brain may instinctively scan over a text rather than thoroughly read it, which impacts comprehension significantly. With a program called Curriculet, students have access to interactive features that actually benefit their educational experience rather than disrupt it. Herold mentions that teachers have the ability to “embed annotations, multimedia, ‘checkpoint’ questions, and formal assessments that can prompt students to consider key points … and probe for understanding” (Herold 25). Instead of falling to the change, Curriculet accepts the challenge of bettering the technological experience and improving digital literacy. Carr and Herold share the understanding

Book Reading has always been a favorite past time for people since ages. In olden times, there used to be ample time for people to read books as it is an only way to increase their knowledge and open minds. As the time advanced by, the lives of people became so hectic used with the use of latest technology and have no time for reading books. E-book is an excellent option for people now to read their interesting book on websites and smartphones.

The prevalent of e-books creates numerous platforms for the marketplace of books. For example, when Steve Jobs announced the launch of the iPad iBooks, it created an enormous opportunity for publishers.

“Ripe for digital destruction,” (A Textbook) were words of the late Steve Jobs referring to the enormous potential for the textbooks industry. He believed the textbook market to be worth an estimated 8 billion dollars in the U.S. alone. His vision was to lessen the burden of carrying heavy textbooks around, while also offering them as a free feature with the iPad. He wanted to change the culture of textbooks forever.

E-books contain many more features than an ordinary textbook. Online textbooks contain the same content and layout as an ordinary textbook would contain (Piels 1). E-books are not any different from textbooks other than they are online and may have more features. E-books have different formats to read the print. Depending on the e-book a student has will decide the format of the print (“What…” 1). Some e-books contain more features than a standard textbook. Some features “can range from an integrated dictionary, online and media tie-ins that go over sections of the book, and a text-to-speech reader” (McNeil 1). E-books can make many things easier for students. Teachers’ lectures can sometimes to be hard to follow and take notes on at once. E-books have the feature of highlighting notes; therefore, it can be easier to listen to the teacher (McNeil 1). Sometimes when a student has to quote a long paragraph or sentence it can be time

One of the significant drawbacks of e-books is the issue of compatibility. Various researchers argue that most e-books are not compatible with a variety of software. For instance, a book may be readable on a Kindle device and fail to display its contents in a different device due to compatibility issues. This makes it hard for readers to access all books. It also poses a challenge for readers as all software require a constant update. This is also a major inconvenience for readers as the books they purchase an older version of the software may become obsolete over time, and thus, require them to make a new purchase (Lai and Li 458). Notably, as much as the issue of compatibility describes the disadvantage of using an e-book, it presents a benefit of using the traditional books. This is because the reader will never encounter compatibility issues upon purchasing a hard copy book. Such a book can last for a long

“Steven Hernandez, a student at Arizona State University is among those who prefer reading the real McCoy over files on a gadget. "I believe that the possibility and likelihood of distraction is too high when it comes to online learning tools like textbooks," he wrote in an op-ed for his student newspaper. "The upside to e-books is the low price and the user interaction that it enables, but it requires integration and education of the technology being used — integration that students like myself are not accustomed to”.