Can Digital Textbooks Become the Bright Future for Students?

Read How You Want is an accessibility site from which you can obtain a title in whatever font size or accessibility format you desire, including DAISY and other text-to-speech editions. These titles are direct-for-sale to the end-user, so it is no longer necessary for the student to buy an unusable text copy of the book. The student can access the RHYW site directly, search for the desired book, and purchase in the desired format. ATN allows students a platform to search all of the resources below to find if the book is available in an electronic format. In some cases, those may be free to students, and in others, our office may need to request those books on your behalf.
Typically two to four weeks before the new Underrstanding Business 12th edition classes begin at the best time to start looking for deals on textbooks from the previous semester. Do your research into the specification of your textbooks before you order the rented textbooks. Make sure you order by ISBN so that you get the proper edition of the textbook you will need for your classes.

These apps, texts and tools make it easier to search for key terms, take notes that kids can find and use later, assess mastery and get creative by making charts and doing other things that are typically harder to do on paper. It is also nice not to have another big book to carry around in my back pack. This worked out well for me, so I decided that anytime I have the opportunity to purchase a digital version I will use that instead of the traditional. Supporting the development of a training process to improve the capacities of all stakeholders of the education system and the book chain.
They provide a constant source of information when the teacher in not present and they make it easier for students to follow along with lessons. Textbooks themselves are not meant to be the only source of information for a student. The main source of information should first and foremost always be the teacher. "The most pressing issue for students is cost and choice. Each student should have the choice to buy the textbooks that work best for them, and each student should be able to learn in a way that benefits them the most." The increasing digitization, growth in the use of digital textbooks, and enhanced demand for EdTech solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic are predominantly driving the market's growth.

And while the business of buying and selling—or leasing, more often—textbooks looks much different than it did just a few years ago, at least that evolution tilts toward affordability. Cengage acquired a company called Learning Objects in 2015 that could potentially act a bridge. And the incentives for it to flourish seem minimal, given the inherent value of locking teachers and their students into a single ecosystem across as many courses as possible. OER isn’t the right solution for everyone; not every course has a viable OER textbook option, and even those that do might find a major publisher’s take on the material superior. That same Babson survey featured repeated concerns about the quality of both images and text in OER materials. But if the textbook ownership model is inexorably changing toward an uncertain end, it’s heartening that at least one final destination is free.
A course, such as Urban Geography, may well be suited as an interactive text, but if only twenty cadets take the course each year, the cost to develop the textbook would be prohibitive. Which converts it to a digital textbook, ready to publish for instant access. Built-in marketing tools help you promote your  complete product portfolio. Mobile push notifications to create awareness, free trials to showcase your content, and more. For starters, explore students’ perceptions about which reading medium helps them concentrate and learn more easily. Conduct a short survey and discuss the results with students in class or at home.
PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. Below are several of the iterations of the website, as described by Garth in an interview with Ditch That Textbook . By the end, what the students were producing was pretty impressive. While working with graduate education students at the University of Akron, a discussion ensued about Wikipedia.

If students have poor internet access, they can use the downloaded textbook file. The eStout Laptop Program, which began 20 years ago, provides laptop computers to students and is the foundation for a campuswide digital learning environment. Kacey King, a junior at UW-Stout, prefers using digital textbooks over printed texts. When libraries and bookstores close or it’s dangerous to visit them, digital reading can be a lifesaver.
The biggest setback to using digital textbooks is that students can get distracted. Because digital textbooks are on the computer, students are tempted to visit other sites while studying. The increased time spent online may also make students more vulnerable to online risks, like cyberbullies and online predators.

One thing for sure is that Digital Textbooks offer solutions to the challenges faced by the use of both books and websites. They provide reliable, subject-specific content that can be edited, improved and adapted. For college students, the cost of textbooks often leads to a frightening drain on the finances they have saved for the entire semester. Students in engineering, biology, chemistry, finance, business, and accounting often feel this the most, since the textbooks for these types of disciplines can easily cost several hundred dollars. Open Textbooks provides free textbooks for college and community college students in a wide variety of subject matters. These include Art, Anthropology, Archeology, Biology & Genetics, Sociology, Political Science, Mathematics, Nursing, Business, Physics, History, Communications, and Literature.
“One faculty member told me only half-jokingly, that OER is like a puppy that’s free. Pearson’s digital-first initiative will dramatically bring down textbook costs on average, albeit by phasing out the concept of ownership. But increasingly, colleges are embracing textbooks that cost … nothing. Researchers Patricia A. Alexander and Lauren M. Singer Trakhman found that while students preferred digital text to printed and believed they learned better with digital, the opposite was true. In recent years, some interesting research has shed more light on the tablets vs. textbooks debate. History teacher Luke Rosa wheels his cart filled with laptops into a classroom at Falls Church High School in Virginia.

For the reasons she mentions but also because of the possibility we might just have web based books (no need for a reader - just a browser) and also for the Korean govts past overpromotion of initiatives that never bear fruit. (I'm kind of an insider there, having spent the last 6 years in public ed and teacher training in Seoul). Given the very poor record of governance that textbook procurement has, one shudders to think what will happen when e-readers are to be procured for all students rather than just small pilots. Compton Community College District CEO Keith Curry said leaders plan to inch up to 85% to 100% of its courses using OER by 2035. Santa Clarita’s College of the Canyons, meanwhile, is aiming for a third of its courses to eliminate textbooks over the next two years, said James Glapa-Grossklag, one of the college’s deans. Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action.
Pearson Plus can always give students the latest versions of their books, and gives users something more than a one-size-fits all platform, she says. Digital textbooks generate far more data than hardcopy textbooks ever could. With that, publishers see opportunity for new lines of revenue. No, because your textbook is digital, there is nothing to return. If you choose not to buy the book or re-rent it at the end of your rental period, your license will simply expire and you will not have access to your textbook. We do offer you a grace period after the expiration of your rental period to buy or re-rent the book.