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Originally Posted by taustin
The particular example was one in which some students had ebook readers.
What "from memory"?
"OK, class, let's look at page 676." "My page numbers are different, can you get me some term to search for on that page?" "OK, search for 'binary explosives.'" "OK, got it."
What is so difficult about that?
What does it matter what device they have? Are there any ebook readers on the market today that do not have a full-text search function?
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That could work, if the professor went along. But it's a one-way street - people with pbooks can give the e-book reader a search term...but how does the e-book reader indicate a location so someone with a pbook?
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The particular issue here was the claim that electronic textbooks are useless because they have different page numbers. That simply isn't true. They don't have the same page numbers, but they have superior search abilities that make them at least as fast to find what you're looking for when the professor, or another student, has the paper version open to the page in question in front of them and can quote a passage unique enough to search for.
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But, again, this only works in one direction.
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It has to do with professors not wanting to have to learn new ways to do old things.
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Those stupid lazy profs. So much dumber than 20-year old undergrads who understand *everything.*
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And yes, it will change, as more and more professors realize they can get a (much bigger) cut of the billions spent on textbooks every year, while making student nearly worship them for lowering prices substantially.
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Sure it will. Just like e-books are so much cheaper than the equivalent paper book.
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Electronic textbooks are the future; nobody but textbook publishers thinkgs otherwise. Professors who don't keep up will find their classes less and less popular, and ultimately, the means they get paid less.
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Yes, e-books are the future. But the idea that professors are somehow not "keeping up" is just arrogant and wrong. Right now, there's nothing to keep up with...and when electronic academic texts are common, professors will be the ones leading.
And the last sentence makes me wonder if you've ever even taken a college class.