Quote:
Originally Posted by Penforhire
I suspect durability also holds back e-books from widespread school use. Ever see a regular textbook after a few semesters? Kids are rough. And the OLPC has better bang for the buck.
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Possibly durability could be a big issue. OLPC might not be a bad idea either. I like the eink device because it's simply cleaner and the idea is not a laptop because the instructors are simply, well, as a rule not able to understand actually using one properly and there there is the whole idea of tech support.
I was specifically thinking of, for now, certain courses where more classic reading should happen. The removal of true literature courses from schools is a travesty. Something one learns in such courses is critical thinking and attempting to see things from differing perspectives. A primary reason used today is schools cannot afford the books...well...if they can be had free of charge as these are almost all public domain so the cost excuse is eliminated.
I am not sure the devices are really ready for advanced math/science texts. But surely english texts, foreign language texts, history texts...none of those need anything fancy or even color...font styles & a few shades of grey should be fine.
But I agree that durability would certainly be big concern...but it simply would mean holding the company supplying the devices to a high standard. As we should be anyway for devices costing anywhere from $300-$1000 or so...that is not throw away type cash.