Tuesday, September 13, 2011

My iPad to replace all of my textbooks......are you sure?


So there I was on a Monday afternoon, almost afternoon, 11:50am to be precise and the class I teach starts at noon. I get to my computer and the KTS system (I teach over the fiber-optic network and it is broadcast out to several classrooms in the eastern Iowa area) and I was just getting my iPad warmed up with my textbook to teach from. On a side note I thought that the iPad was going to revolutionize the way I was able to carry materials for my class. No more large textbooks or instructor manuals, just this sleek, elegant, and lightweight device "to rule them all". In it's defense so far it has, as long as the textbooks are in an e-version and the publishers are willing to impart them to a lowly adjunct instructor like myself. OK, so my story for today is right before class and warming up the iPad, and low and behold no network. It was not my iPad fault by any means but I had placed all of my faith, relied on the well being of my lesson for the day, to an electronic version of a perfectly good textbook that was laying on my desk at home gathering dust. A sudden thought of panic came over me, what to do if I could not use the book from my iPad. I thought about it and decided that I could go online and grab some of the backup files I had stored on Drop box. It wasn't what I was planning but I could make due.....but alas no network. So it was about this time that my decision to go paperless for this semester started looking a little less progressive than I had envisioned and a little more cautionary tale about the pitfalls of technology. What ever could I do, well luckily the network came back on about a minute into class and all was again right with my world. However my students almost had to sit through the most impromptu game of computers terminology charades in the history of Linn county. I guess this is a cautionary tail for all of those out there who are looking for the new tech to change the way we prepare for our classrooms. It's still a good idea, i have not lost faith in altogether, I just carry all of my textbooks in the car with me from now on.

8 comments:

  1. Can you just download the book to your iPad so you do not need the network? I have never used an electronic text. I guess I just assumed that it was like reading a book on iBooks where you wouldn't need the network. Maybe the files on a book that big take up too much space? Just curious. I have always wanted to try that because my backpack weighs in at 40 pounds. The back problems are starting at age 30. Let me know how the experience goes for you over the semester.

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  2. With the text I teach from I have to log into coursesmart.com and pull from my library there. Your right, with spots like kindle and the like you can download them to your device. I will have to contact the publisher and see if an e-copy is available. I am in agreement though, no more backpack is nice.

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  3. It is a good decision. I decided to do that when I started to have to much pain in my back because of the textbooks. Actually, I gave the e-text to my students. They put them in their cellphones. It was huge because the could not avoid to do homework.

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  4. You guys make some great observations about ebooks. While it changes between platforms, usually you download book onto your computer so you can read it even if your network doesn't work.

    It is amazing what classroom teachers are doing with ebooks. Did you see the science teacher who created ebooks?
    http://www.artofteachingscience.org/2011/09/10/write-ebooks-blog-posts/

    Straube does a good job of comparing textbooks and ebooks http://straube.blogspot.com/2011/08/ebooks-vs-textbooks.html

    Z

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  5. Paper wins! I know this is so old, but would a back-up USB work? My computer is in the process of falling apart, so I'm transferring everything to USB while I still can. Do you recommend the ipad overall?

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  6. Your right a back-up copy of the book would work, however I do not have PDF versions I can backup from some of the publishers. As for the iPad, I love mine. I found that getting it to a place where it is beneficial for teaching, or learning, is a little rough but overall it has been well worth the investment.

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  7. I used to take notes on my books and I think it's a good learning habit which makes me easy to organize what I have learned. So I didn’t really want electronic textbooks until my cousin showed me how to mark on iPad two weeks ago. Although marking on ebooks is less convenient than marking on paper books (my opinion), I think having e-textbooks as backup may be a good idea. I don’t need to take a 30 pounds backpack everywhere everyday if textbooks go all together in a hand-on device. But I don’t think I will replace my paperbooks with ebooks. Technology has its own limitations, I’d like to take advantage of it, but I won’t rely on it.

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  8. Nothing is worse than failing technology! While some days technology can serve as your best friend, other days it is your worst nightmare.

    I remember questioning the ability of my USB flash drive constantly during my undergrad. Nearly every time I gave a presentation, I was nervous that the file wouldn't save or that it would be corrupt. These days I have several backup plans: I still use a flash drive, I always email the files I need to myself, upload them on googledocs, and often even bring my whole laptop.

    Apparently I lose either way, because I just can't seem to put my full trust in technology. As a result, my bag isn't getting any lighter!

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