eTextbooks for the iPhone?
Tech blogs were buzzing last week with the news that CourseSmart had just released “eTextbooks for the iPhone“, an iPhone app which allows student and instructor subscribers to access their CourseSmart eTextbook. Seems fewer students want to carry around backpacks full of textbooks. Go figure.
Founded in 2007 and supported by six higher education publishers, CourseSmart provides higher ed markets with digital versions of over 7000 titles from some of the leading textbook publishers today (including McGraw Hill Higher Education, John Wiley & Sons , Sage Publication, Pearson and 10 others). According to its website, students from nearly 6000 universitites have subscribed to CourseSmart eTextbooks, saving an average of $62 per purchase.
Saving up to 50% off the publisher list price, students subscribe to eTextbooks for 180 days, in either fully online or downloadable versions. eTextbooks have the same content, page numbers, and layout as print versions of the text, as well as a suite of interactive tools which allow students to search for keywords, add notes, highlight key points, copy and paste quotes, print pages and even email excerpts to their classmates. What’s not to love?
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That’s awesome! I can’t wait to see what else iPod Touches/iPhones do for education. I already love to use mine for music applications that help me with chords, songs, and aural training. I also have an app that lets me read classic books like “The Time Traveler” – very cool to have an assortment of books in the palm of my hand without the bulkiness of actual books.
Although I have to admit, I’ll always love the smell of a new book from the bookstore!! For that reason and the atmosphere of book stores, I’ll probably continue to purchase hard copies every now and then