Written by brian_houghton on Wednesday, August 12, 2009

iPhone in Education: The Textbooks are Coming

GottaBeMobile is reporting that iPhone’s and iPod Touch’s are soon going to be home to some student’s textbooks. With major textbook publishers McGraw Hill, Pearson and others on board, many of the core subjects are likely to be covered for students. CourseSmart LLC is planning to provide the textbooks using a rental model, which does provide the potential benefit of lower costs, something that can definitely help schools affected by the economic downturn.

This is really interesting news for the education environment, as there are some clear benefits I can see to having a student carry his or her textbook with them on their handheld. First, you’ve got the admit it.. the kids are less likely to say their dog ate their iPhone or iPod. Next, a common problem that educators face is the forgetful kid. Forgetting to take the textbooks home, forgetting to bring the textbook to class, and so on. With the textbook stored on a device that they actually want to have with them, the odds of “forgetting” are likely to decrease. Now, this isn’t going to guarantee that the student is automatically going to use the textbook, but having it with them is a step in the right direction. Looking at it from a student health viewpoint, it will be better on backs not to have to carry the large backpacks around. Finally, we’ve got to admit it… technology does appeal to students. Students that wouldn’t dare crack open a book, just might take a look at the same material on the iPhone just because of the different environment. Stimulating a student’s interests is a challenge that educators have to embrace, and reaching them through technology is a good step in the right direction.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Image: TheAppleBlog]

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