learning as we teach: e-books, an overview

Learning as we teache-books, an overview

21st November 2013 Pearson e-books conference

Louis Coiffait (@louismmcoiffait)

The Pearson Think Tank and OCEA

thepearsonthinktank.com

Learning as we teach; e-books, an overview l 21/11/20132

e-books agenda

1. A little context2. Caution - emergent technology3. What are e-books anyway?4. pro’s & con’s (according to the evidence)5. e-book features6. Teaching and learning (new pedagogies) 7. What can you do?8. What does the future hold for e-books?


Introductions Independent evidence and ideas from Pearson

Programme of research and thought-leadership e.g. The Academies Commission (Jan 13), Careers advice (Sep 13) Blue Skies, on the future of higher education (on-going) Tuition fees (May 13) and admissions (both Sep 13)

Working with Sir Michael Barber’s team on more global projects e.g. Michael Fullan paper out in Jan 14 on digital pedagogies.

Ongoing policy intelligence, analysis and comment e.g. Policy Watch.

Participate in key education debates, provide a platform for ideas.

All of our content and activities are free.


A little context

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A little contexte-books around the world (not just electronic HE textbooks)

e-books currently still a relatively small proportion of total book sales:• 2% OECD average • 4% United Kingdom • 9% United States Older readers more likely to own e-readers than younger readers.But we’re seeing a rapid transformation of the book, from physical,

paper object to electronic ‘e-book’.Global e-book industry to triple from c.$1bn in 2010 to c.$3bn in 2015.2011 Amazon announces e-book sales overtake sales of print books.Pearson transforming ourselves quickly to deliver e-books e.g. 17%

of Penguin’s 2012 revenue now in eBooks, up from 12% in 2011.


Caution - emergent technology

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Caution - emergent technologyRe-writing the rules

Disruptive to existing structures, practices and business models.You’re not alone, governments and businesses still responding .Taxes - differing VAT rates between physical books and e-books;• UK printed book 0%, e-book 20%• Germany printed book 7%, 19%• France 5.5%, 7%Pricing laws prohibit discounting of e-books.Consumer rights; privacy, copyright, DRM, piracy, lending, libraries.Limitations on how users can read / share their purchased content.Not always clear what happens to personal usage data.Platforms with consumer lock-in, rapid evolution and sometimes death e.g. nobody wants to buy in to the Betamax or HD DVD of e-books.


What are e-books anyway?

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What are e-books anyway?Some definitions and terminology

e-book; electronic book, eBook, ebook, etextbook, ePub, eReader, electronic textbooks, digital texts, e-texts, hypertext books

File formats; EPUB, PDF, DOC, TXT, HTML, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, plain text, MOBI, AZW

Software; Adobe PDF, XML, SGML, HTML, Kortext, VitalSource, FlashPaper, CaféScribe, CourseSmart, Pearson eText

Hardware; E-Reader, Palm Reader, Sony Reader, Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Kobo, Android, Nook, BeBook, BlackBerry, Windows, Windows Phone 7, tablet, smart-phone, computer, MP3 player


e-book pro’s and con’s (according to the evidence)

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e-book pro’s and con’s (according to the evidence) Key considerations 1/2

Cost: usually cheaper for learners/institutionsCustomisation allows only targeted content and less ‘waste’.Distribution is fast, cheap and flexible, source content varies.Complicated slightly by hardware investment.Fairness questions;• Overall lower cost to students• But seems that natural uptake levels of about 50%• Does this give those who can pay an advantage?• Should those who can’t pay be helped? Green; far less paper/printing/ink/logistics, but hardware may have

rare/toxic/non-biodegradable substances to produce, some find jury still out on ‘whole e-reader ecological lifecycle’, read 100 e-books on each device to be ‘green’?


e-book pro’s and con’s (according to the evidence) Key considerations 2/2

Some staff and students still have preferences for hard copies;• Comfortable, familiar, permanent, physical possessions • Allow where possible, provide options, support through changeIT issues; new technology, technical issues can arise, compatibility. Outsource induction/training/support e.g. videos, exercises, suppliers.Hardware: Provide / allow own devices / mix of both – who pays?• Dartford College iPad for all pilot http://pear.sn/qYlzz. • Japanese region declared all school students must pay for own tablet.• Some UK courses and HEIs provide hardware ‘free’ to students.• Pearson UK case studies. Implement carefully, significant change, requires thoughtful planning,

training, CPD, support and communications.Increasingly used as a core text resource, may require compromises.


e-book features

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e-book featuresSo why the fuss? 1/2

Spectrum of sophistication (list of benefits when implemented well).Initially just straight ‘digital copies’, PDFs or scans of hard copies.Convenient, light and portable.Whenever / wherever, always with the user.No wear and tear, loss or damage, though hardware costs/risks.All in one place (textbook, VLE, worksheets, assessments, dictionaries).Device-specific limitations e.g. e-readers don’t allow multi-tasking.Accessibility and zoom options.Navigation and (hopefully smart) search.Foreign language support.Links e.g. to real-world examples, further reading, multimedia content.


e-book featuresSo why the fuss? 2/2

Make and share highlights/notes/annotations – a good initial step, needs to align to existing motivations/activities, requires sufficient time, support and practice. Sometimes still limited functionality.

Communication, sharing and collaboration tools, existing social networks e.g. FaceBook, LinkedIn etc as well as VLE.

Audio and video.Assessment.Content & Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) for language teaching.Games.View or edit raw data behind charts – move to ‘reproducible research’.Fully interactive/dynamic, personalised to learning styles/paces.


Teaching and learning (new pedagogies)

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Teaching and learning (new pedagogies) What does it mean for your practice?

Some data on learning outcomes, not conclusive yet, hard to isolate.Seems to increase learner acceptance/use/engagement with resources.Requires appropriate introduction to manage the change.Must also consider expectations (between generations,

personal/academic lives, potential/reality of new technologies).Stop reliance on hand-outs, aid independent study/intrinsic motivation.integrate textbook content into classroom teaching/activities on VLE.Guide learners around content, sign-posting, e.g. sharing notes.Concept Grid method.Relationship to e-learning, m-learning, blended learning, online learning,

metasystems learning theory.


What can you do?

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What can you do? Practical next steps

Experiment, evaluate, research, share lessons learned.

Limited research and data available on e-books, mostly American.

Hard to isolate the impact of eBooks, they’re a ‘gateway technology’, with the content (rather than the hardware) leading users to other systems…


What does the future hold for e-books?

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What does the future hold for e-books?Three suggestions…

Seamless integration of e-books/apps/online/tests, all device-neutral.

More practical;• Real-world and real-time• high-resolution-screens, voice recorder, camera, timer, GPS position

locator, accelerometer, compass, tilt sensor (wearable sensors soon)• Simulations.

The power to unlock the potential of open education data This is the holy grail for the future of e-books.Leads to truly adaptive, personalised learning.Built on open data standards and APIs.With more data-literate educators, learners and populations…

Further reading list on eBooksA starter for ten

EdSurge http://pear.sn/qYmog HASTAC http://pear.sn/qYmv6 NESTA/Pearson http://pear.sn/qYCOc New Media Consortium http://pear.sn/qYmDU OECD http://pear.sn/qYvnB Open University http://pear.sn/qYmVg European Journal of Law & Technology http://pear.sn/qYn5F Pearson USA http://pear.sn/qYnUK Victoria Business School http://pear.sn/qYnum

Our Jan 2014 ‘Rich Seam’ publication with Michael Fullan

Thank you, any questions please?

learning as we teach: e-books, an overview

Education