Colleges to Use New E-Reader Devices | The Chronicle of Higher Education

Nice piece from the Chronicle of Higher Education on new e-readers that are being used on campus. We are well beyond the Amazon Kindle and the multi-purpose Apple iPad,

We have long wondered when the e-reader will fully arrive on campus and whether the economics of ‘textbooks’ will be changed with the arrival of e-books and e-readers. From Kelly Truong:

One of the new e-readers is called Kno, which was announced in June and will be given to about 100 students at three colleges. The Kno sports two 14-inch screens, allowing users to read on one screen while writing notes on the other. With a pen stylus, students are able to highlight text and make annotations as they read. Both screens are LCD rather than the e-ink technology used in the Kindle, which means they can display in color, but they could be harder on the eyes for long reading sessions. The company plans to make the product available on the market just before Christmas.

Kno’s founder, Osman Rashid, argues that students who have tested the device so far found it more portable than a laptop computer. “They think the laptop becomes the new desktop, because this gives them everything they need during the day,” Mr. Rashid said.

Some Colleges to Test Dual-Screen E-Reader Devices – Wired Campus – The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Cool Apple in Education Graphic

This is a cool graphic I received via email. We have often talked of the ‘textbook’ and learning revolution that is occurring and the opportunities it presents for entrepreneurs.

One missing element in this graphic — Professors. They must be engaged and educated about using all of these new technologies in their courses.

Research by Online Degrees.org

Apple’s iPad Struggles in Some Colleges | Some Ban the IPad

Melissa Korn over at the WSJ writes that the IPad is struggling as it enters the modern campus. The story highlights some difficulties over at George Washington University and Princeton University related to the IPad and network stability. From the piece:

The tablet, lauded by many as the next wave in education technology, is having difficulty being accepted at George Washington University and Princeton University because of network stability issues. Cornell University also says it is seeing connectivity problems with the device and is concerned about bandwidth overload.

Such issues could be a blow to Apple, which has gone after the higher education market by highlighting the iPad’s portability and availability of electronic books. But students may not be willing to pay $499—or more, depending on the type of iPad—if they still need a desktop or laptop computer to check course assignments or email. Some higher education insiders also worry there isn’t enough educational content available via the iBookstore application to eliminate expensive physical textbooks.

George Washington said earlier this month its wireless network’s security features don’t support the iPad—or iPhone and iPod Touch, for that matter. Princeton on Wednesday said it has proactively blocked about 20% of the devices from its network after noticing malfunctions that can affect the entire school’s computer system. Princeton is working with Apple to resolve the issue, according to a statement on the school’s Web site.

I have already had one student toting an IPad in class in the past few weeks and have two immediate family members (father and wife) who have purchased the IPad and are already in love.

The network issue is a big one for campuses as students already love watching video and sharing large files across school networks. I have no doubt that Apple products with their expanding array of Apps will only further push networks.  (Geek.com frames it: U.S. Universities Start Banning IPad Use)

BTW, I would love Apple to send me and my students some IPads to use in our New Venture Creation class. We could center our entire business planning segment around the concept of new ventures for the IPad. Anyone know who I should contact at Apple for this activity?

I look forward to learning more about how the IPad influences the campus and specifically entrepreneurs on campus.

<p><a href=’http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703594404575192330930646778.html’>Apple’s iPad Struggles at Some Colleges – WSJ.com</a>.</p>

Apple’s iPad Struggles at Some Colleges – WSJ.com.