Apple to Have "Education-Related" Press Conference

From Apple Insider:

As Apple's education-related media event on Thursday approaches, multiple reports are claiming that the company could announce an initiative to help textbook makers produce interactive ebooks for the iPad, with some sources calling the initiative "Garageband for e-books."

According to the report, some industry executives are also confident that Apple will likely unveil a textbook publishing tool this week. Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis, who worked on education projects at Apple before leaving to focus on interactive e-books, voiced his belief that a textbook app from Apple is in the works.

"When you think about what Apple is doing... they are selling tens of thousands of iPads into K-12 institutions," MacInnis said. "What are they doing with those iPads? They don't really replace textbooks, because there's not very much content on offer."


Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had intimated to biographer Walter Isaacson that he wanted to revolutionize textbooks ArsTechnica's sources said Jobs had worked on the project for years. The plans were reportedly set to be announced last October, but they were postponed at the last minute because of Jobs' failing health.


This follows on the heels of Rep. Reuven Carlyle's desire/push for spending less on textbooks in K-12 education. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
The ebook scenario is a pretty good theory but it gets brought down like a mammoth meeting an atlatl launched spear. First, how many computers/readers/iPads are in the hands of students? Probably a goodly number overall but what about students who don't? Or don't have internet access? Or have theirs stolen and pawned *cough*Cleveland*cough*?

Will the district adopt ebooks and then still cling to a 'no Wi-Fi' policy? E-books may be a good supplement for the top 80% of students. But it destroys the bottom 20% which further exacerbates the access to education and widens the gap between educational experiences.

In order for it to work SPS would need 100% reliable device penetration to all students. Reliable wireless internet access (with all that implies), and frankly a vastly different technological mindset than currently exists in the district.

-Lemons
Anonymous said…
just commenting on the incredible usefulness of iPads in special ed/autism context.


-A
Anonymous said…
A -- could you elaborate? I have a vague sense of how they might be helpful in that context, but emphasis on the "vague."

Jan
Anonymous said…
Wendy, Steve's widow, is TFA founder & CEO

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204450804576621262729373784.html

-JC.
Sahila said…
Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of TFA, is NOT Steve Jobs' widow...

But Laurene Powell Jobs is indeed involved in ed deform activities...
Anonymous said…
just Google "ipad autism" and you'll see. highly useful for nonverbal kids.

The best description I've heard is that it is as if Apple intended to invent a device for disabled children and the iPad is the result.

-A
dan dempsey said…
My wife teaches some Autistic Children ... she bought an iPad2 for precisely that reason. The iPad spends its life at her school and seldom comes home.

============

This follows on the heels of Rep. Reuven Carlyle's desire/push for spending less on textbooks in K-12 education.

So where is Rep. Reuven Carlyle's desire/push for placing a limit on contributions to campaigns for School Board Director?

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday Open Thread

Why the Majority of the Board Needs to be Filled with New Faces

First Candidates for Seattle School Board Elections 2023