Searching High and Low

Students returning to college after summer break may find cheaper textbook alternatives waiting for them at the bookstore.  Others will have the option of downloading electronic versions of textbooks for free or purchasing reasonably priced print versions.

• New Jersey higher eds will begin renting textbooks later this year.

• Genesee Community College is working with Barnes and Noble to offer textbook rentals to students.

• Two community college professors create an open source college algebra textbook that includes supplemental videos on Youtube.
  

Despite meeting the software, hardware, and price needs of a Michigan high school, Businessweek reports that Apple’s iPad is being rejected by the school for two reasons: Teachers lack the ability to remotely monitor student activity and content in the form e-textbooks are not (yet) widely available from publishers.

The first problem can only be solved by an update to the iPad operating system. Will enough school districts asking for this feature compel Apple to make this change?  The second, e-textbook availability, is likely to resolve itself in the near future as publishers add additional ebook titles.  Whether or not students will embrace e-textbooks is another matter. A recent survey conducted on 19 college campuses showed that nearly 75% of college students preferred a printed textbook over an electronic version.