My last post, Apple’s iPad Textbooks Cost 5x More Than Print, touched a live wire. The majority of comments were positive. The general tone was support for iPads in the classroom (a position I share) but an appreciation for the realistic view of what it will cost to implement the…
From a Publisher’s perspective Apple’s iPad textbook initiative is a decent 1.0 release with promise. I’ve had a few weeks to play with iBooks Author and iBooks2 and discuss them with colleagues. I’ll write about the many positives in future posts. But there is a worm in this apple. All…
eBooks, iPads, and the Kindle are changing the fundamental structure of the publishing industry. From a strategic perspective they are having the largest impact on the development and pricing of products. In other words it is affecting the “what” deeply. The “how” has not changed all that much, regardless of…
I grew up just outside Rt 128 in Boston. The children of the founders of DEC and Wang were friends and classmates. I’ve spent most of my adult life shuttling between the other three great tech centers in the US – Silicon Valley, Seattle, and Austin. My domain expertise, such…
In “Four years into the ebook revolution: things we know and things we don’t know” Mike Shatzkin does a great job of summarizing the state of the trade publishing business. Education Publishers take note – this is your future. In “Predicting Player Behavior and How Zynga Profits From Data Analysis”…
There are bad ideas that become iconic for every era because they were popular fads. Pet Rocks, the Pacer, Supply Side Economics, and .com groceries all come to mind. Looking back we all scratch our heads and wonder – why? Gamification, ripping the reward and recognition systems out of video…
Admittedly they have a huge stake in this growth, but this is a pretty compelling outline of where things are headed. Also, an incredible example of advertising that informs and engages rather than just promoting. Enjoy. Hat tip to Denise Jacks at PCI.
Is the Internet making us dumber or are we just using our brains in new ways? The BBC posted a great overview of a new study which makes the case for a neat trick the brain is pulling now that we have 24/7 access to the web. The article notes:…
What could be nerdier than a huge ed-tech trade show? It has technology, teachers, curriculum, and lot of gee whiz bang products. I’m sure a couple of the hotels had mad D&D sessions going late into the night. I’ll tell you what is nerdier – judging the marketing efforts at…
At ISTE 2011 in Philadelphia this week we were blessed with gorgeous summer weather, hot but not oppressive days and cool evenings perfect for a city walk. The show was hot too, well attended and and well run. So it may seem like an odd time to declare that this…