A new company called Inkling (http://www.inkling.com) has announced plans to develop textbooks for e-readers. The company will start with books formatted for the iPad.
As a proof of concept, Inkling has a deal with McGraw-Hill to produce rich text versions of four popular college textbooks. The chapters will include extended graphics and video relevant to the subject, and hyperlinks to other resources. The student will be able to highlight passages of text, and make electronic notes.
Inkling says it will be possible to share students' notes in real time with the iPads of other students, allowing collaboration in a study group. A professor might use this feature to share comments about the text with the class.
Once an e-book or chapter is purchased from Inkling, the student can download it as often as they want. Once a student configures the Inkling application to allow sharing, the notes a student makes are stored online. Notes are shared only with other Inklink owners the student chooses to authorize. Because the notes are stored on a server, if the e-book is deleted or the iPad is lost, the student can recover both using the Inkling service.
Some observers think adding a social networking aspect to e-books is the "killer application" that will lead to widespread acceptance of e-books in higher education. It would be a great way to flirt with other students, too!
Under the Inkling plan, students will be able to purchase individual chapters of the textbooks for $3-$4. An entire book may cost $70-$85. If you've visited a college bookstore lately, you'll recognize that these prices are reasonable.
As a proof of concept, Inkling has a deal with McGraw-Hill to produce rich text versions of four popular college textbooks. The chapters will include extended graphics and video relevant to the subject, and hyperlinks to other resources. The student will be able to highlight passages of text, and make electronic notes.
Inkling says it will be possible to share students' notes in real time with the iPads of other students, allowing collaboration in a study group. A professor might use this feature to share comments about the text with the class.
Once an e-book or chapter is purchased from Inkling, the student can download it as often as they want. Once a student configures the Inkling application to allow sharing, the notes a student makes are stored online. Notes are shared only with other Inklink owners the student chooses to authorize. Because the notes are stored on a server, if the e-book is deleted or the iPad is lost, the student can recover both using the Inkling service.
Some observers think adding a social networking aspect to e-books is the "killer application" that will lead to widespread acceptance of e-books in higher education. It would be a great way to flirt with other students, too!
Under the Inkling plan, students will be able to purchase individual chapters of the textbooks for $3-$4. An entire book may cost $70-$85. If you've visited a college bookstore lately, you'll recognize that these prices are reasonable.
