The rumor mills are chugging at full steam and everyone is throwing in their two-cents related to Apple’s Education Announcement this Thursday at the Guggenheim in New York.

Generally, I agree with most of the rumors. They all surround the textbook market and iBooks. I’m a one-device-for-all-tasks kind of guy. I no longer carry a camera with me because of the iPhone 4. I no longer buy paper books because of iBooks. I no longer carry a notebook because of the iPad. I no longer…you get it.

Do note, Apple has such a large history with education, partnering with schools across the nation, and even developing the now-discontinued eMac.

I’m not a student, but if I was I would be having an orgasm right now. Throughout high school and college, I always carried heavy textbooks which caused me to buy new backpacks 2-3 times per year. And when I needed to pack booze for after-class parties, well then I’d have two backpacks. Having all of those textbooks available on the iPad is extraordinary, saving so much room and saving students’ backs across the nation. But what features can Apple include that will compel the industry to adopt this method (These are all completely unfounded guesses)?

First, the obvious is video/audio. Built directly into the pages of the virtual textbooks, students can quickly gain additional explanations and visuals without ever leaving to view an “online version” of the textbook. What if a professor could record their own audio to remind the students of something from a lecture and include it on specific pages?

Next, class comments/notes. A student can take notes directly in the pages, including highlighting, when the professor is speaking. Much like students can do with a paper version. But this could also allow students to record the professor, share notes with other students, and view class-wide comments. This could also lead the way for students to organize, bookmark, and file their notes for easy reference without flipping through hundreds of pages.

Finally, a grab bag of features could be included. This could be links to external websites, pop-ups with updated/edited information, screenshots, print capabilities, assignments assigned within the textbooks, companion guides, etc. Really, the options are endless.

Yes, all of these features are already availble using an array of apps. But having this all built and unified into one app allows students to focus on learning. Perhaps the American education system will finally be saved by the innovation of Apple.

Around the Web
Cult of Mac’s “Apple’s War on Amazon Starts Thursday”
Apple Insider’s “Apple Announces Education Event…”
Interesting Philosophy from The Loop Insight

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