Well, Apple has done it again. Today, some people would say they made it easier to put textbooks onto an iPad. I say those people are not seeing the full picture. What Apple has done is to modify the textbook and classroom model that has been essentially unchanged for hundreds of years. They’ve adapted that model to today’s technology, in a way that facilitates creation, access, and usage of this new medium. After poking around it a bit and getting a closer look, I’m convinced that this new approach is far superior to the traditional teaching method.
The question now is, will it be adopted? A resounding ‘yes’, if you ask me. The ONLY downside I see is the cost to equip each gradeschool student with an iPad. However, even before this new textbook concept, some public schools have already been doing just that (like Manitou Springs in Colorado). Even in times of decreasing school funding, the schools are being challenged to be more innovative, more resourceful, more efficient, and more effective…and this presents a very compelling argument for them.
What a fantastic age we live in.