Implications of Digital TextbooksFor LearnersWith students spending an average of $700-$1000 per year on textbooks, there is the potential for a large cost-savings with the transition to digital textbooks because they are less expensive to produce and distribute (Robinson, 2011). Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office, staples in the productivity world, are now being offered through a subscription model and digital textbooks are no different. Students are able to rent the textbook for a set period (such as six months) or even, as some companies offer, access the textbook for free with the publisher making up revenues through sales of hardcopies or through the sale of additional materials such as study guides and quizzes (Robinson, 2011). Depending on the text and its functionality, students now also have the option to easily share classroom notes and highlighting making collaboration through classroom resources easier. The implication here would, of course, mean students would need to have access to a device in the classroom in order to access the resource.
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For EducatorsWith a shift to digital textbooks, educators are now presented with the opportunity to have the most up-to-date information available to them for use in their classrooms. Understanding Financial Accounting: Canadian Edition published by Wiley for example offers weekly updates by chapter with current events from the world of accounting and even offers discussion question suggestions for the educator to facilitate learning in their classroom. The ability to have an up-to-date resource can not only increase student engagement but also allow the course to stay competitive (especially in an ever-changing market, such as business).
For Schools and Educational AdministratorsThe impact business has on the environment can no longer be ignored. Green initiatives were once seen as optional but have now just become another cost of doing business. Apple, for instance, publishes yearly reports on their environmental impact and what they are doing to mitigate their carbon footprint (Apple, 2016). A move to digital textbooks allows administrators to reduce the environmental impact their school makes while also saving on their yearly budgets. In addition, administrators can more accurately budget for a yearly subscription to digital textbooks as opposed to having to sporadically purchase full class sets or expensive hard copies when they need to be replaced. Further, school course offerings of electives can be expanded with more ease, again without having to spring for a full class set of textbooks; if a course is not successful, administrators don’t have to feel the pressure of dealing with expensive resources.
It should be mentioned that administrators will need ensure that students have access to digital devices (Bring Your Own Device or school sets) and to a further extent, the school’s technology infrastructure is able to handle multiple devices accessing resources online. For Libraries“A library without books was once unthinkable. Now it seems almost inevitable” (Agresta, 2014). Recently the New York Public Library announced plans to get rid of its stacks to make room for technology and we are seeing a similar trend in public schools. Rick Hansen Secondary School of Science and Business just went through a rebranding of their library to a learning commons with many books donated to make more room for technology; a shift to a place of collaboration and buzz that we are seeing more and more. Further to consider the fact that “retailing giant Amazon now sells more e-books than printed books” (p.166, Millar, 2015), the library must recognize how people are choosing to read their content. Finally, libraries should consider their supply chain as “Google currently offers a mix of about 3 million public-domain and contemporary e-books [and] Amazon claims to offer 750,000 books for sale in addition to...1.8 million free books” (p.538, Marques, 2012). Google Library of the Future project currently offers a subscription model to libraries to access these resources, but some fear that the price will start low and when the service becomes indispensable, they will see an increase thus ultimately eating up library budgets.
For Educational PublishersAccording to the retail giant Amazon, they “now sell more e-books than printed books” (p.166, Millar, 2015); a fact that publishers cannot ignore. As technology continues to get a larger foothold on the classroom, digital textbooks are becoming more of a viable option. For publishers, distribution costs are significantly lower as they are not having to ship a (bulky) physical product. Publishers can reach consumers all over the world and can make a sale and deliver the product all within minutes. Further, as publishers do not have to print a physical copy of the textbook (or as many of them, anyways), they are able to save on both direct and overhead costs: Direct costs such as salaries for workers and overhead costs such as facility and machinery (printing related) rentals.
Publishers are also able to imbed Digital Rights Management on their digital textbooks to limit user behaviour as they see fit. For example, if a publisher only wants to ensure the textbook can be accessed from one machine, or that certain pages cannot be printed, they can build that into the product. It should be noted though that DRM can lead to user frustration and should be used strategically. ReferencesAgresta, M. (2014). Will Libraries Exist in the Future? If So, They’ll Be Very Different. Retrieved May 29, 2016, from
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/design/2014/04/the_future_of_the_library_how_they_ll_evolve_for_the_digital_age.html Environment - Apple (CA). (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2016, from http://www.apple.com/ca/environment/ Marques de Oliveira, S. (10/19/2012). Library management: E-textbooks usage by students at andrews university Emerald Group Publishing Limited. doi:10.1108/01435121211279894 Millar, M., & Schrier, T. (2015). Digital or Printed Textbooks: Which do Students Prefer and Why?. Journal Of Teaching In Travel & Tourism, 15(2), 166-185. doi:10.1080/15313220.2015.1026474 Molnar, M. (2016). Technology in Education: Global Trends, Universe Spend and Market Outlook. Education Week, 35(29), 5. Robinson, S. (2011). STUDENT USE OF A FREE ONLINE TEXTBOOK. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 15(3), 1-10. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/886552772?accountid=14656 |