Comments for Triangle Tutors http://triangletutors.com triangle tutors math science high school Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:32:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 Comment on Nintendo’s Innovative Education Niche by Alistair Owens http://triangletutors.com/tutor/nintendo%e2%80%99s-innovative-education-niche-2/#comment-91 Alistair Owens Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0000 http://triangletutors.com/tutor/nintendo%e2%80%99s-innovative-education-niche-2/#comment-91 This is a great move. Making educational games that are fun to play induces learning through enjoyment. Now how many can say that when they sit down to a hunk of math homework? Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk This is a great move. Making educational games that are fun to play induces learning through enjoyment. Now how many can say that when they sit down to a hunk of math homework?

Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk

]]> Comment on Why the Kindle Won’t Have a Dramatic Impact on College Course Materials for at least Five Years (Part 1 — College Textbook Publishers) by jmellett http://triangletutors.com/tutor/why-the-kindle-won%e2%80%99t-have-a-dramatic-impact-on-college-course-materials-for-at-least-five-years-part-1-%e2%80%94-college-textbook-publishers-2/#comment-87 jmellett Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:44:27 +0000 http://triangletutors.com/tutor/why-the-kindle-won%e2%80%99t-have-a-dramatic-impact-on-college-course-materials-for-at-least-five-years-part-1-%e2%80%94-college-textbook-publishers-2/#comment-87 As someone who has been in the industry over twenty years, I must say that your article is a breath of fresh air in a deluge of incredibly uninformed and misleading stories about textbooks....you actually seem to know what you are talking about. Publishers would love the market to move to digital as soon as possible. The days of the first student to buy a new edition being saddled with all the development, printing and binding costs while the used book industry got rich on the next 4 students who buy that same book in subsequent semester would be over. The value that publishers bring to the table is to develop and package the information and teaching materials into a form best used by students and professors. Once that goes digital, you will see prices dive as publishers realize revenue from every user of the material, not just the first one. As someone who has been in the industry over twenty years, I must say that your article is a breath of fresh air in a deluge of incredibly uninformed and misleading stories about textbooks….you actually seem to know what you are talking about.

Publishers would love the market to move to digital as soon as possible. The days of the first student to buy a new edition being saddled with all the development, printing and binding costs while the used book industry got rich on the next 4 students who buy that same book in subsequent semester would be over.

The value that publishers bring to the table is to develop and package the information and teaching materials into a form best used by students and professors. Once that goes digital, you will see prices dive as publishers realize revenue from every user of the material, not just the first one.

]]> Comment on Why the Kindle Won’t Have a Dramatic Impact on College Course Materials for at least Five Years (Part 1 — College Textbook Publishers) by T http://triangletutors.com/tutor/why-the-kindle-won%e2%80%99t-have-a-dramatic-impact-on-college-course-materials-for-at-least-five-years-part-1-%e2%80%94-college-textbook-publishers-2/#comment-86 T Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:00:29 +0000 http://triangletutors.com/tutor/why-the-kindle-won%e2%80%99t-have-a-dramatic-impact-on-college-course-materials-for-at-least-five-years-part-1-%e2%80%94-college-textbook-publishers-2/#comment-86 You didn't mention no color in current Kindles, nor did you mention the student might like an 8.5 X 11 inch sized Kindle. Now, add in the fact that a small Kindle costs about $360 and let your imagination conjure up a $600 plus Kindle. Color may come along, and if it does, as I mentioned the price will increase dramatically for a color Kindle. I suspect college text books, which thrive on color and illustrations, will look crappy on a Kindle. I know nothing about business models but you seem to know the business end, so... Maybe five years but you will need dramatic changes in both the things you give as impediments added to those I mention. Meanwhile, people like me think they've died and gone to heaven because of the Kindle. I'm a book reader, and at age 70, only a sometime college student. I doubt the Kindle will help me one bit in my role as college student. The weight and cost of college texts is obscene, at best. Worst of all, I don't think there is any more intellectual or teaching value in those gross monstrosities currently besetting the already financially pinched student. These days I'm even more than overjoyed to find all sorts of "podcasts" of interesting U.C. Berkeley college courses available free from the iTunes store. The older I get, the better it gets for me. Need I mention I don't need a overpriced textbook to enjoy and learn from the Berkeley podcasts. You didn’t mention no color in current Kindles, nor did you mention the student might like an 8.5 X 11 inch sized Kindle. Now, add in the fact that a small Kindle costs about $360 and let your imagination conjure up a $600 plus Kindle.

Color may come along, and if it does, as I mentioned the price will increase dramatically for a color Kindle. I suspect college text books, which thrive on color and illustrations, will look crappy on a Kindle. I know nothing about business models but you seem to know the business end, so…

Maybe five years but you will need dramatic changes in both the things you give as impediments added to those I mention. Meanwhile, people like me think they’ve died and gone to heaven because of the Kindle. I’m a book reader, and at age 70, only a sometime college student. I doubt the Kindle will help me one bit in my role as college student. The weight and cost of college texts is obscene, at best. Worst of all, I don’t think there is any more intellectual or teaching value in those gross monstrosities currently besetting the already financially pinched student.

These days I’m even more than overjoyed to find all sorts of “podcasts” of interesting U.C. Berkeley college courses available free from the iTunes store. The older I get, the better it gets for me. Need I mention I don’t need a overpriced textbook to enjoy and learn from the Berkeley podcasts.

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