DIGITAL TEXTBOOKS

Xin BaiMichael B. SmithWenying Huang-Stolte

York College

Concerns and Opportunities

• Cost of textbooks -> increasing• Web 2.0 -> growth of collective intelligence• Environmental concerns –> save trees• Learner needs -> individualized instruction &

collaborative learning

Develop digital textbooks based upon:• Rich open-access materials• Instructor-developed elearning contents

Digital Textbooks via Computers• Allows learners to search contents, share notes, and

collaborate• Varied formats:

– PDF– Image formats (i.e., JPEG, GIF, PNG, or BMP); – Other formats (i.e., AZW(Kindle), MP3, MOBI, EPUB, eReader,

BBeB, PRC, AAC) • Lack of standard eBook formats and eBook Readers keeps

authors from distributing their ebooks to all eBook devices.

Digital Textbooks via Mobile Devices• Ownership• Mobile learning

– A rapidly developing paradigm often defined as learning that takes place with the help of portable electronic tools (Quinn, 2000).

• Capacity & Cost– Mobile devices have much of the computing capability and

expandable storage capacity of laptops at a fraction of the cost (Dieterle, 2004).

• It is a great platform for digital Textbooks!

Computer-based Digital TextBooks

Mobile-based Digital Textbooks

Digital TextBooks in Development

Digital TextBooks across Disciplines

SCORM-complaint eBook Development

Authoring Tools

Students Attitudes (Spring, 2011)

E-Book AC230 Spring 2011 Survey

I can learn equally well.

I learn better with printed books. I learn better with eBook.

E-Book AC230 Spring 2011 Survey

• Strengths of the eBook:– Interactive– Multimedia– Instant feedback from the assessment– Save money

• Concerns– Lose where I left off when losing internet

connection– Not being able to open videos

Demo• An eBook chapter in AC 230 (hybrid course)– Digital Images

• Developed using SoftChalk• Packaged as ScoreCenter or SCORM 2004• Student quiz scores and time spent in the

module are recorded in the Blackboard Grade Center.

Discussions and Future Directions

Thank you!