[scottjl]

like any tool, it may only be applicable to certain tasks. there may be little use for an a/v component to a math book, but what about history? sciences? art? any sort of vocational training? students being able to watch a re-enactment of a battle can get a visual understanding of what a war is like, not just try text. science books showing experiments that are too dangerous or costly for students to actually perform in the classroom. an art book with a rotatable 3d image of a sculpture, or a/v history of a piece of artwork safely tucked away in a museum in another country. any vocational class could benefit from a video of a task actually being performed so that a student can review it easily as many times as they want learning proper technique and safety before turning on the arc wielder/router/chainsaw. how about a medical student who gets to read about a procedure as well as see an a/v clip of it right on the page.

ok. so interactive books aren't for you. don't discount them from someone else though. i am fortunate to be the type of person who can sit down with a text book, read it cover to cover, and learn what it has to teach. i have a few peers who envy me of that "ability" because they were more the "hands on" type and need to go through something to learn it. to each his own.