Do you own an iPad? Well, if you ever have thought of using one for school than you are in luck. Major textbook publishers McGraw-Hill and Pearson have announced recently that they have invested in a new iPad application called Inkling. This revolutionary new product from the San Francisco based company of the same name allows students and instructors to download digital textbooks onto their iPad quickly and easily. What makes Inkling even more ground breaking is the fact that they will be able to bring high quality educational content to the iPad platform, likely before anyone else.
With backing from two of the top textbook publishers in the world, Inkling has it’s eyes set on changing the face of digital distribution. Not only will the iPad and Inkling give students easier access to their textbooks, but it will also enable them to utilize the content they are studying in ways that have not been seen before. Unique interactivity as well as unique content from textbook publishers made specifically for students using the iPad and Inkling is expected. Students can even buy just chapters instead of the whole textbook. It will be interesting to see whether Inkling will support textbook rental options for students, allowing students to download textbooks and use them for a specified amount of time, typically a semester or two, at a lower cost than buying the textbook.
Since news of McGraw-Hill and Pearson investing in the SF company, Inkling has committed itself to offering the following content:
- The top 100 undergrad titles from McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
- The top medical reference titles from McGraw-Hill Professional.
- A full MBA curriculum from Pearson Education.
- Top undergraduate titles from Pearson Education.
- A full medical education curriculum from Wolters Kluwer Health.
The adaption of iPads by schools and universities will no doubt be a long road. As we mentioned in a previous article, some school district officials are hesitant to invest in new and exciting technologies due to costs and most likely many other unknowns. However, digital textbooks are becoming a growing trend. Inkling is leading the way along with McGraw-Hill and Pearson towards changing how students learn.
Take a look at the video below to get an idea for how Inkling works.
What do you think about using the iPad to access your textbooks digitally and being able to explore interactive supplementary materials?