Reinventing the Textbook
For thousands of years texts have existed and been used by people on a daily basis. The ancient Greeks were some of the first to begin creating these vital parts of our society. In the 15th century the printing press changed everything, and quickly began driving us toward where we are today, the modern textbook. The modern textbook is a lot of things to a lot of people; sources of information, unwieldy bound pieces of parchment, friends, enemies and so much more. It is because of our deep usage of these items that I find it somewhat odd that innovation has only now begun in this market nearly 30 years after computers started gaining traction. Unsurprisingly, Apple has decided to act as a spearhead for the endeavor. Before I jump in to what I think could be one of the best changes the education industry has seen in the last couple centuries, I think its important to look at why the textbook companies feel this endeavor is beneficial to them.
