E-reader pilot approved at ETSU

Well, it has been a long time since I posted to the blog and there have been some exciting events since I last posted! First, I am excited to announce that my collaborator, Lee Daniels, and myself received a sizeable grant to study the use of e-readers for textbooks at ETSU during the 2009-2010 academic year. The other major event that has happened since my last posting was the big announcement regarding the Amazon Kindle DX last week. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon, along with Pearson higher education will be targeting the university textbook market with a 6-site pilot test this fall using the Kindle DX and textbooks supplied by Pearson. I will address the implications of this move in a separate posting. With regard to our pilot project at ETSU for fall, we have to make some important decisions over the summer with the help of both our administration at ETSU and with our textbook publisher partner. Understandably, until the details with our partners are worked out, I will have to be guarded about what I disclose here on the blog but suffice it say that I am very excited about this opportunity and I look forward to e-reader technology penetrating the academic market.

I noticed that the stimulus package includes lots of money for colleges & Universities. Sounds like a great place to market e-readers!

Had lunch with former silicon valley technologist about e-reader ideas; academia is definitely a better bet than biz for the new e-readers!

Three streams that will form a river; E-reading devices will find acceptance in the academic community-eventually!

It’s been a while since my last blog post but I am very excited about some of the new developments on the e-reader front. First, I am happy to be working with an interdisciplinary team at ETSU that is trying to get grant funding in order to pilot test a batch of the next generation e-readers (e.g. the new Sony Reader, the new Amazon Kindle) at ETSU in 2009. As we are discussing strategies for moving forward, it has become evident to me and my team that there are really three “streams” that are converging into a “river” that increase the likelihood of a large-scale conversion to e-readers in the academic community within the next few years.

The first “stream” is simply e-ink technology and the improvement with the associated hardware devices. As I have stated before in this blog, the emergence of e-ink represents a seismic shift forward in the movement towards reading more documents digitally. The physiological effectiveness of reading on an e-ink screen relative to reading on a backlit computer screen (e.g. less eye-fatigue) will make the conversion to e-readers on a large scale possible when the associated hardware devices reach a certain level in their evolution. Once the devices can comfortably download and display graphics intensive textbooks as well as exhibit more of the functionality of laptop computers (e.g. functional web browsers, stylus and keyboard inputs, high processing speeds) at a reasonable price-point, the transformation will take place. The next generation of e-reading devices will take us closer, particularly the forthcoming Plastic Logic reader, but it may in fact be version 3.0 before these devices have the necessary functionality to be broadly accepted in the academic community.

The second “stream” is the reduced state funding that is being experienced by most state colleges and universities. Here at ETSU, for instance, state budget shortfalls have resulted in massive cost-cutting and administrators are much more open to paradigm shifts which have the potential to reduce the University’s long-term costs. One long-term cost that has been specifically targeted for reductions at ETSU has been printing costs. Once a functional e-ink device is ready, assuming that they could be obtained at a reasonable price-point, universities could facilitate the large-scale adoption of these devices for the purpose of reducing printing costs. Why would these devices reduce printing costs where current digital document initiatives have failed (e.g. D2L, Blackboard)? People would actually read the documents on these devices instead of simply receiving them electronically (e.g. via e-mail) then printing them off!

The third “stream” is student textbook costs. Students, parents, and universities have been alarmed by the dramatic rise in the costs of new textbooks over the last 5 to 10 years. Numerous states have adopted legislation encouraging the use of digital and used copies of textbooks in order to reduce student textbook costs. Assuming that the costs of textbooks delivered via the e-ink devices will eventually be cheaper over a 4-year period (e.g. including the initial cost of the device) for students than used textbooks are currently, textbook publishers should be quite interested in facilitating the large scale adoption of these devices by all interested parties. Why? This textbook delivery model would give publishers a way to sell their products directly to the consumer (e.g. rather than through a “middle-man” like university bookstores) and to increase adoptions of the newer editions of their textbooks (e.g. because they would be cheaper for the students in digital form). The e-reader model would also facilitate the marketing of new textbooks to faculty members. Again, I realize that publishers are already offering digital textbooks to students and faculty members in the form of Course Smart software. This initiative has not been a success, however, because it requires reading the textbook on a computer! E-ink is really the game changer!

So, over the course of the next couple of years, these streams should “converge” into a river that will represent a major paradigm shift in the way students access textbooks and documents. Stay tuned…
jblake

Use e-readers to build value in the academic market.

We had a conference in the Tri Cities, TN area this week and in reading some of the thoughts that came out of that meeting in our local newspaper, one idea in particular caught my eye. One of the presenters talked about how important it is to use technology to create value for your product rather than simply creating a “wow” factor. I wonder how much of this mentality is what has been holding back the transition to e-readers for textbooks? The current “batch” of e-readers from Amazon, Sony, I-rex, Plastic Logic, and others are all heavy on the “wow” factor in their own ways. I personally love my Amazon Kindle because of its wireless delivery of my Wall Street Journal every morning but I wonder if these manufacturers are simply failing to connect the dots with helping publishers and other constituencies (e.g. academic institutions, students, faculty) to see the value of using e-readers for textbooks?

It has been my strong contention that marketing e-textbook readers to students and faculty will have to go beyond a focus on the “wow” and must demonstrate the real value that comes with the “wow”. In other words, the more these devices can “walk and chew gum at the same time” (e. g., allow students to highlight, take notes, check e-mails, complete assignments), the higher their “value” to those consumers. Of course laptops can do most of these things already but they have BACKLIT SCREENS and absolutely SUCK for reading on. So how do you show the various constituents how to use these devices to build value? Stay tuned….

jblake

Will the new Sony e-reader beat the Amazon Kindle to the academic market?

As has been widely reported, Sony has announced the next version of its e-reader:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665562069

This e-reader represents an improvement over the previous version because it adds touch screen capability along with a stylus that would allow note-taking and highlighting in addition to the features from the previous version (e.g. e-ink technology, long battery life). One major criticism of this product relative to the Amazon Kindle is the lack of wireless connectivity. The entry-level price is still a bit steep at $399. It remains to be see whether Amazon or Sony will enter the textbook market first. Oddly, if it was the intent of Sony to enter the market with this product, they still went with the smaller screen, which is not ideal for textbooks. These products are close but still no cigar. Why isn’t somebody willing to seal the deal here? Business model, perceived value, entrenched paradigms? Stay tuned….

jblake

Will the Plastic Logic e-reader beat Amazon to the e-textbook market?

Since my last blog posting, there have been even more exciting developments in the e-reader department. A startup company called Plastic Logic has developed a new e-reader that has a larger plastic screen and might be even more suitable for e-textbooks than the rumored new/larger Amazon Kindle. Here is a video demo of the new reader from Plastic Logic:

ink.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid980795693/bctid1778578839

 

The reader from Plastic Logic has the benefits of:
1) A larger screen size than current e-readers.
2) An “indestructible” plastic screen (i.e. as opposed to the glass screens of the Amazon Kindle/Sony Reader).
3) An “e-inking” feature that allows users to simulate writing onto the screen, thereby allowing users to take notes.

Whereas the device is being marketed as a “business documents” reader, it is clear from the demo and from write-ups and reviews that the device would also be a more ideal newspaper/magazine reader than current e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader. The video demonstration of the Plastic Logic reader featured a copy of The Economist magazine on screen for illustration. Although this e-reader is still limited in that it does not have a color screen (i.e. color screens are rumored to be another year or two off), it would probably function very well as an e-textbook reader. My only concern would be that if the device does not include the wireless connectivity and publication delivery that the Amazon Kindle has, it would not be as functional of a device for the academic community. Within academia, it has always been my contention that the ability to have subscriptions to publications and to download books wirelessly will probably tip the scales in favor of the e-textbook format for faculty members. This demo reinforces my belief that 2009 will be the year for a competitive e-textbook reader to come on the market. I hope that publishing companies are seeking terms that are more favorable to them rather than waiting on Amazon or Plastic Logic to do it for them…
jblake

Updates on the rumored new Amazon Kindle textbook reader.

There have been a number of developments on the rumored new textbook version of the Amazon Kindle reader. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Amazon would definitely not be releasing a new version of the Kindle this year, but rather next year at the earliest. The article went on to say that no textbook publishers are currently negotiating arrangements with Amazon to put their textbooks on the rumored newest version of the Kindle. There was even a suggestion in the article by Amazon that the Kindle is still not an appropriate device for reading textbooks. I thought this was interesting for several reasons.

First, it was evident that Amazon was talking about its current Kindle reader in the article. This is important to point out. Amazon has been very careful not to market the current reader as a device that is appropriate for textbooks. As a Kindle owner I would agree with this assessment in general (although I do believe that there are some college “textbooks” that would work well on the current Kindle, such as many of the novels required for English classes). It is too small, there are no page numbers, and it is in black and white format. I think that Amazon’s claim is interesting because it sets up a nice “straw-man” argument for a newer version of the Kindle that would address many if not all of those deficiencies. In other words, the current Kindle (as well as other current e-book readers like the Sony reader) is inferior for textbooks but our new device is made specifically for this task!

Secondly, it lowers the bar for their entry into the textbook market. If none of the publishers are talking with them now, making a revelation one year from now that all of the major publishers are on board looks even more stellar. It is really savvy marketing on their part. Something must be afoot because they have really closed down the information channels about upcoming events. I do trust the techcrunch posting, however, and I firmly believe that the new Kindle is coming. I also believe that with the new e-ink technology, wireless delivery to devices, etc. that if Amazon doesn’t break into this market, someone else will. There is pent-up demand from too many quarters ranging from congress to parents for this not to be the case. Stay tuned….

jblake

Why the new Amazon Kindle textbook reader should be "the one" for textbook publishers.

Well, it’s been quite an exciting few days! A posting on “The Cite” blog http://thecite.blogspot.com/2008/08/e-textbook-sales.html references a posting from the magazine Inside Highered which discusses the future of e-textbooks. Both the article and Mark Nelson’s blog posting bring up some interesting points about the future of e-textbooks. One big issue seems to be that of format. If publishers were to all throw in their lot with one format, such as Amazon’s rumored new Kindle reader for e-textbooks, what happens if another format swoops in? This is causing publishers, students, and all parties involved a lot of heartburn because of the high cost of the initial investment of converting large selections of textbooks into one format. Publishers also rightly point out that e-textbooks have been available for 9 years or so and have been largely a failure. So why now?

I would argue that there are at least 3 reasons why the new larger Kindle is the way forward. Keep in mind that these are based on one massive assumption, namely that at some point (i.e. after the conversion costs are recouped) there will be a higher profit margin for e-textbooks than print copies, therefore publishers would be motivated to get students to adopt them, and faculty members to use them to download desk copies of textbooks.

1) Amazon Kindles employ e-ink technology, which is just simply a superior format for reading documents electronically. The biggest reason e-books have failed is that people simply don’t want to curl up with a laptop or a desktop computer and go blind reading on a backlit screen (which becomes impossible in the presence of sunlight).

2) Kindles offer wireless access to a growing selection of novels, newspapers, and magazines (e.g. not just textbooks). It doesn’t take a huge stretch of the imagination seeing how everything from trade journals to reference manuals could be offered via this format and can be accessed wirelessly. This part is just a no-brainer for todays wired students.

3) The ability to take notes, highlight material, and save clips of books offered by the current Kindle will overcome many of the hurdles associated with the e-book formats currently available. Combined with many of the social networking platforms associated with textbooks (e.g. cafescribe) that are coming online, it isn’t hard to imagine how the Kindle could be configured to take advantage of these tools given its hardware capabilities.

In closing, if any or all of the preceding is true, it will be essential to market the “winner” of the e-reader hardware devices to faculty members. Mark refers to this in his blog, namely the data showing that students generally follow the lead of their instructor. For those of us in academia, this does not come as a surprise ☺
jblake

Response to @lauradee: Integrate Rheingold tool with forthcoming Kindle textbook readers!

@Lauradee asks about the functionality of Rheingold’s social networking tool which is designed to teach web 2.0 literacy skills to college students. The tool has areas that allow students to use blogging, podcasting, twittering, etc. to supplement traditional classroom teaching. The tool adds functionalities that are not common in course management systems such as Blackboard or D2L. I think that this tool could be very helpful to me if it came pre-loaded with content that was pegged to a textbook that I was using at the time (e.g. much like course cartridges that I currently use for D2L). What we be absolutely amazing is to allow the tool to function within the rumored Amazon Kindle textbook reader. This way you would have the textbook and the tools for teaching web 2.0 literacy skills all within one portable device-talk about a win-win situation! As usual, Amazon, are you out there?
jblake