| Many publishing experts all thought that 2013 would be the year that eBook sales would start to level off and cease the near double digit gains from years prior. The Association of American Publishers have just released their annual report that looks at the first six months of 2013. Overall, eBook sales have increased by a paltry 4.8% from $618 million in 2012 to $647 million in 2013. Children’s eBooks were hit the hardest and experienced the most noticeable drop in sales. Revenue was down to $83.7 million from $153.7 million in 2012, a decrease of 45.6%. Overall, digital kids books are down because there has not been a runaway hit like the Hunger Games for quite sometime. Also, the general public still has not embraced EPUB 3, which has a growing portfolio of interactive books and has a higher development cost. Publishers are starting to see more money trickle in from digital books with 27.8% of their overall revenue stemming from it. 1196 US publishers took part in the survey, which provides the most accurate reflection of eBook sales. eBook Sales Experience Miniscule Gains in 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Thursday, September 19, 2013
eBook Sales Experience Miniscule Gains in 2013
Be a NOOBS v1.3 beta tester!
| Liz: Here’s a post from Rob Bishop. Read it thoroughly if you’d like to be a NOOBS v1.3 beta tester – and get downloading! Earlier in the year we released our New Out of Box Software (known as NOOBS), which was designed to make it easier to install operating systems for the Raspberry Pi without having to worry about manually imaging your SD card unless you explicitly wanted to. After a really positive response to this from the community, we've been working hard to make NOOBS even more powerful without compromising on its ease of use and intuitive interface. The ultimate aim for NOOBS is to make it simple for anyone to get going on a Pi – regardless of their level of prior knowledge. We hope to do this through providing intuitive options for setting up everything from language and keyboard layout through to getting your display working and installing an OS. NOOBS isn't about "dumbing down" the Pi: it's about unlocking its potential and making computing even more accessible by breaking down the effort barrier that stops people from ever getting started. I'm really pleased that today we are ready to show the work that we've been doing to move us closer to that aim, and can announce the beta release of the next version of NOOBS. Given that NOOBS is aimed at those who are complete beginners to both computing and the Pi, we know that it's imperative that the software is as reliable and robust as possible. This means that we need your help! In order to ensure that we only recommend stable, tested software to beginners, we're initially launching this release of NOOBS in beta to the community, and will continue to recommend using the v1.2.1 release for those new to the Pi. That's why the v1.3 beta release can only be downloaded using the links below, and why the v1.2.1 release is still shown at raspberrypi.org/downloads. Pending any major issues arising during this initial feedback period, we can then transition to using the v1.3 release as the default version that we recommend to all users. So, without further ado, here's a short description of the awesome new features to be found in NOOBS v1.3: - Multiple OSes can now be installed simultaneously and easily switched between at boot. Unlike BerryBoot, NOOBS allows each OS to use its own kernel meaning that non-Linux based OSes such as RISC OS are also supported. - OSes can now be installed via the internet from our central OS repository (located at downloads.raspberrypi.org). Note that this requires a wired Ethernet connection at present. - OSes are now available in multiple "flavours" – including a "Boot to Scratch" option for Raspbian at launch. Additional flavours adding support for features such as Google's Coder are also planned for the future. The ability to create different OS flavours means that OS maintainers can now provide tailored versions of their OSes that are designed to support a specific use case or user group. A great example of this is the "Boot to Scratch" option that provides a quick, easy and distraction-free route to running MIT's Scratch program on the Pi with minimal set-up or prior knowledge. - Creating a custom version of a NOOBS OS distribution that can be installed via NOOBS is now significantly easier (as is producing a NOOBS restorable backup of an existing OS install). This is due to NOOBS now populating partitions using compressed tarballs of filesystems rather than having to handle images directly. For instructions on how to do this please see: https://github.com/raspberrypi/noobs/blob/master/README.md. - The keyboard layout can now be set via the NOOBS interface in the same way that language selection is currently handled. - Language, keyboard and display mode settings now persist between subsequent NOOBS sessions and into installed OSes. This means that if, for example, you are wanting to set up a Pi to use to teach Primary school children in Germany while using a CRT monitor and German keyboard, you would simply boot into NOOBS, press "3" on your keyboard, select "Germany" from the language selector and then install "Boot to Scratch". This would result in your Pi booting directly into the German-language Scratch interface with the display being output via composite PAL – no complex configuration file editing required. About NOOBS v1.3
Only the latest version of each OS will ever be displayed meaning that you can be sure that you have installed the most up-to-date release of your selected OS. On any subsequent boot you can then press the SHIFT key to enter the NOOBS interface and easily reinstall your choice of OSes. The NOOBS interface provides the following functionality:
Note that all user settings (language, keyboard layout, display mode) will persist between reboots and will also be automatically passed to the installed OSes. This means that if you can see the NOOBS interface on your display device then you should be able to see the OS CLI/GUI when it boots too! We're very excited about this as it should make configuring the Pi to support your display device as easy as pressing 1,2,3 or 4 in the NOOBS interface rather than having to worry about changing config options. OS InstallationSimply select the checkbox next to each OS you want to install using either a mouse or keyboard (arrow keys to traverse the list, enter to toggle the selected OS’s checkbox), then click the “Install” icon (or press “i” on your keyboard) to install the selection. The icons shown on the right of the list indicate whether the OS is being installed from the SD card (SD card icon) or from the online OS repository (Ethernet icon). Online Help via Web Browser The built-in Arora web browser allows you to easily get help via the Raspberry Pi Forums (wired network connection required). Easy Config File Editor The built-in config file editor allows you to edit the config file of the OS currently highlighted in the OS list. This allows you to easily add licence keys to different OS installs through the same interface. Note that the output mode selected by the user through pressing one of number keys 1 to 4 (for HDMI preferred, HDMI VGA, Composite PAL and Composite NTSC respectively) will be automatically set in the config.txt files of your installed OSes. This means that you shouldn’t have to worry about manually changing your display settings to get your installed OS to display correctly on your display device. Installer Slideshow An installer slideshow guides you through your first steps with each OS while it installs. OS Boot Selector After multiple OSes have been installed, you can select which OS to boot through this selection window that is automatically displayed. NOOBS will remember your choice and boot this OS by default unless a different option has been selected within 10 seconds. Note that if only one OS is installed then the boot selector will not be displayed and the OS will be automatically booted. How to Download the NOOBS v1.3 Beta NOOBS v1.3 Beta (pre-packaged with OSes ready to install) – Larger download (1GB), works offline Download Link: http://downloads.raspberrypi.org/NOOBS/NOOBS_v1_3_BETA.zip NOOBS v1.3 Beta 'lite' (network OS installation only) – Smaller download (20MB), requires Ethernet connection to internet Download Link: http://downloads.raspberrypi.org/NOOBS/NOOBS_lite_v1_3_BETA.zip Note: There is a known issue with the network install failing in rare cases with an error message reporting that the disk is inaccessible. If this occurs please restart installation after a reboot and let us know that it occurred. We would ask for any testing feedback to be given via this forum thread. Please also feel free to ask questions concerning the new features in the comments below. As ever, please read the documentation before posting your question! If you're an OS maintainer and would like to see your OS included in our online repository please email me at rob.bishop@raspberrypi.org so that I can provide the necessary documentation. [Liz notes: huge thanks are due to Rob, who has been wearing his fingers to bloody nubbins to get NOOBS v1.3 ready. He's been busy writing the rest of this post and is far too elegant and self-effacing to point out all the work he's done, so I'll do it for him. Thanks Rob!] Special thanks go to all of the OS maintainers for working hard to support the new system, Floris Bos and those who helped with the alpha release testing. We also want to thank Liam and Pete at Mythic Beasts for helping us to make the network install functionality possible. |
New MOOC FutureLearn Launches in the UK
| Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, have been hailed as the future of education. Having initially gained widespread recognition with the launch of Khan Academy, MOOCs offer users a way to learn that can be as simple as brushing up on their skills or as involved as learning an entirely new subject. FutureLearn, new program controlled entirely by Open University, is making a wide variety of MOOCs available for free to anyone interested in learning the topics. While some, like those on different aspects of dentistry, might appeal only to a niche market of learners, others are farther reaching and have a greater impact on a larger audience, such as the brief courses on sustainability and climate change. According to their website, “Our aim is to connect learners from all over the globe with high quality educators, and with each other. We believe learning should be an enjoyable, social experience, with plenty of opportunities to discuss what you've studied, in order to make fresh discoveries and form new ideas…FutureLearn is in beta and the courses we’ll be running this year are all pilot courses. This allows us to shape and refine how it all works, using feedback and ideas from our learners. It is important to us to craft a high quality product which is tailored specifically to our learners' needs, so we want to spend the time listening.” While still in its early stages and only offering a short list of courses, FutureLearn has plans to incorporate new titles from professionals across a wide variety of fields soon.
New MOOC FutureLearn Launches in the UK is a post from: E-Reader News |
OverDrive Media Console iOS 7 crash resolutions
| Apple released iOS 7 yesterday and many Apple users may have upgraded their device(s) or will be upgrading in the near future.
When an existing OverDrive Media Console (OMC) user upgrades to iOS 7, the app will fail when trying to open a DRM-protected eBook. New or first time users of OMC are unaffected by this issue meaning that if you download the app for the first time post-iOS7 update you will not experience this issue.
We are resolving the issue but in the meantime, here are immediate remedies for users:
1) Re-authenticate the app with your existing or a new Adobe ID. Refer to the iOS section of this Help article for assistance. (Recommended)
2) Uninstall and re-install OMC which will also require the user to re-authorize with Adobe. IMPORTANT NOTE: A re-install will clear a user’s bookshelf, history, and app settings.
Audiobook users won’t notice that anything is different unless they attempt to download parts of audiobooks they already downloaded to OMC before upgrading to iOS 7. A user will receive an error message informing them to download the title again.
We encourage you to share this information with your users via email, Facebook or Twitter. Please be sure to follow our Digital Library Blog for the latest updates.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Adam Sockel is a Marketing Communications Specialist with OverDrive
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Hidden In Plain Sight: 3 Steps To Identifying Transferrable Skills And Expanding Your Job Search
Think you don't have all the necessary skills for a new job or career change? Think again. Check out this guide to find out what your resume might be missing.  |
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Amazon Brings X-Ray to Apple iPad and iPhone
| Amazon has just unleashed a massive new update for their Kindle app for iOS 7. Users of the iPhone and iPad will finally be able to access X-Ray and Book Extras on their devices. This is the first time X-Ray is available anywhere but Amazon e-Readers and Tablets. X-Ray is a popular feature that gives you an indication of the people, places and things in a particular novel. You can get a sense on who the main characters they are and how often they are referenced throughout the book. If you are juggling many books at once or just coming back to one after a long hideous, you can immediately see who the major players are. The new Kindle app is also optimized for iOS 7 and features an all-new new design, as well as Collections, which make it easy for customers to organize their books, documents, and magazines. Collections on Kindle are unique because customers can add their content to multiple categories, rather than just one – for example, put A Game of Thrones in "My Favorites" as well as "Fantasy Epics". Amazon Brings X-Ray to Apple iPad and iPhone is a post from: E-Reader News |
4.0 Update for Kindle iOS App Adds Collections and New Look
| As Apple starts transitioning to their new mobile operating system, a lot of iOS apps are getting updated for compatibility reasons. Amazon released an update for the Kindle iOS app last week for that very reason. Now just 10 days later, coinciding with the release of iOS 7, Amazon has another update for their popular […] |
World Book Encyclopedia to Offer Subscription Plan to Schools, Libraries
| As well-known and highly respected publishing entities like newspapers and reference books struggle to compete with free information available on the internet, publishers of these types of content are forced to find new ways to stay relevant and more importantly, to stay in business. With the announcement last year the the two-hundred-plus-year-old Encyclopaedia Britannica would stop publishing its volumes, other publishing mainstays took a good look at the state of the industry and took steps to evolve. Another widely used encyclopedia, World Book, initially began looking into digital reference materials, but has now expanded its business model to include an option that meets users where they are. With this week’s announcement of its subscription model for schools and libraries, the online platform World Book eBooks can continue to sell its content in ways that users can actually consume it. According to a press release on the launch, “The e-book collection includes beautifully illustrated, engaging titles that contain such multimedia features as videos, audio, and games. Subscribers to World Book eBooks receive 24/7 unlimited simultaneous access to the entire collection, enabling school librarians and public librarians to offer World Book eBooks at all times to all users––no holds or waiting. An ‘early adopter’ subscription includes updates and revisions to e-books, as well as all new titles that are added to the site during their subscription.” The content, which can be accessed from any internet-ready computer or tablet, is not limited by the bounds of typical library licensing in which there are predetermined numbers of check outs or patron use. Participating organizations can enjoy simultaneous checkouts, and can also experience the added benefit of helping the library continue to be a relevant source of information; rather conducting internet searches for information, library patrons can access World Book’s content through their libraries via the internet.
World Book Encyclopedia to Offer Subscription Plan to Schools, Libraries is a post from: E-Reader News |
Frankfurt Book Fair Opens to Authors
| As the countdown to one of the largest and oldest publishing industry events in the world begins, publishing industry professionals are focusing on the Frankfurt Book Fair. One of the more interesting aspects of this year’s staging, though, is that an unheard of number of authors appear to be attending what was traditionally considered to be strictly a rights’ fair, one of the more exciting but distinctly business-oriented aspects of the publishing industry. But with the greater focus on including authors and the public this year, what do authors need to know about Frankfurt before booking a very expensive trip? Good e-Reader will be attending this year’s event to cover industry news, and spoke to Hannah Johnson, Deputy Publisher at Publishing Perspectives, about what is important for attendees to understand about the event as a whole. Johnson’s guide, “Authors Guide to the Frankfurt Book Fair,” is available for download HERE. “The industry is in transition and it’s new territory. I think authors are going to Frankfurt more and more to make their own connections in the industry and meet people that they wouldn’t otherwise get to meet, especially as authors are taking a little bit more control over their careers.” One key area that authors may be interested in attending for is the foreign rights and translation issues that are handled at Frankfurt, especially if they are far enough along in their careers that selling their foreign rights is crucial. So what kind of author would benefit from the investment involved in going to Frankfurt? “It depends on what stage they’re in in their careers. If you’re an established author with a list of books being published, or if you’re a little more well-known and have an established readership, I think an event like Frankfurt is a good investment in your career. If you haven’t been published yet and you’re a brand-new author looking to start your career, there are plenty of other events that are better suited to your needs this year.” Johnson suggests that writers’ conferences are a much better investment for authors who are looking to connect with agents and publishers. At an event like Frankfurt, agents are actually quite busy working to sell the rights to books from clients they already have; it’s not a safe bet that an author’s elevator pitch will be effective at a frantic, high-paced event like this one. That being said, one option authors are looking at now is incorporating some type of book event into their existing vacation plans. Authors whose focus is a vacation to Germany or New York might plan it in such a way that it includes the ability to spend a day at the book fair or at BookExpo America, for example. But planning a full trip for the specific purpose of attending a publishing event is an investment that only pays off in terms of forging long-term connections in the industry, not in terms of fulfilling immediate agenting or publishing goals. The fact that Frankfurt is even open to authors and offering industry workshops for digital and self-publishing is still very telling of the direction the industry is taking, namely that authors are being given greater access to choices and control in their careers. “It’s really interesting to watch. It’s an exciting time to go to Frankfurt and to work in publishing.”
Frankfurt Book Fair Opens to Authors is a post from: E-Reader News |
Halloween costumes: Doc Brown
| Halloween’s a little way off yet, but here in the USA, preparations are in full swing. (Can someone explain to me what earthly use a Pumpkin Spice Latte is in New Orleans, with temperatures above 30ºC and 100% humidity?) Halloween cards are in the shops, vampire teeth are on sale on every street corner. We know many of you are making costumes for Halloween which incorporate a Pi, and we hope more of you will mail us (or leave a note in the comments) to let us know about them and share your builds in time for the end of October. This first costume was something I spotted on Twitter. @ForToffee volunteers with the Scouts. He put up a picture of his Delorean Time Circuit, used at a fancy dress do at the end of a Scout camp, and I asked whether he’d consider writing about his project online so I could blog about it. I was delighted and made to feel guilty in equal measures when he went away for a few days, then came back to announce that he’d started a whole blog to talk about it, and had made a huge, detailed, beautiful, multi-post tutorial to talk you through making your own setup.  We think the wig leaves something to be desired, but the rest of it’s bang tidy. @ForToffee (whose actual name is Carl Monk) has done one of the best project writeups I’ve seen so far. Even if you’re a beginner, his clear explanations and wiring diagrams should have you able to put one of these together yourself.  It’s a monstrous snarl! I’ll never be able to replicate it…  …Oh, I see. That’s actually quite straightforward, isn’t it? Because Mr Fusion is made up, the Time Circuit is powered by batteries bought at Tesco. Jiggawatts of power are not required. You’ll learn all about seven-segment displays, do some hard thinking about hexadecimal, and use some Python too. He also made a Flux Capacitor. Instructions are, of course, laid out very simply so you can make one too. Carl says the housing looks as if it’s seen better days because…it has: when this video was taken, the whole device had been through the rigours of a Scout camp, including some in-the-field (literally) repairs when a wire did something poky. Scouts these days are less than familiar with the early roles of Michael J Fox. Carl says: What's more worrying is the state of teenagers awareness of classic 80s movies. The number of Explorer Scouts that asked "What's that?" or "Are you Einstein?" was mildly worrying. They were all told to hunt out the films when they got home and watch them to aid their education The real heart warming thing was the number of youngsters (and a few adults) that either correctly guessed there was a Pi inside or knew what it was when I told them. There's hope for them yet…. Thanks so much, Carl. I really didn’t expect you to respond to my initial inquiry with anything like this much detail and swagger. More power to your lab coat.
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I was asked by one lad "Did you buy that off eBay?"Livrada, Hook Book Events Bundle Print and eBook Options
| Livrada, the ebook distribution platform that first made headlines by creating an innovative way for people to buy ebooks in major retail chain stores via specifically branded gift cards for individual titles, has announced this week its partnership with Hook Book Events to enable event attendees to select a print or ebook edition of titles available for sale at the event when purchasing their tickets. “Livrada has developed the most seamless, simple and elegant way to deliver e-books to a large audience. With Livrada, we're able to offer an innovative way for our customers to engage with authors at our events by giving them the choice of an e-book or print copy when they purchase a ticket," said Perry Pidgeon Hooks, President and co-founder of Hooks Book Events, in a press release. The event, which will be held September 24th, will feature Honest Tea co-founder and TeaEO Seth Goldman, who will talk about his book, Mission in a Bottle: The Honest Guide to Doing Business Differently – and Succeeding. At the event, participants will receive a copy of Mission in a Bottle, and thanks to Livrada, will have the option to receive the print or digital edition, regardless of the device platform the readers choose. "We're excited to offer this new feature to serve the growing e-reading population. Our partnership with the well-respected Hooks Book Events is a logical fit. They are trailblazers in connecting leading thinkers and authors of our time with sophisticated audiences," continued Leonard Chen, CEO of Livrada.
Livrada, Hook Book Events Bundle Print and eBook Options is a post from: E-Reader News |
Get help with your Next Generation school library website
| In August we announced that all school digital library websites will be getting a Next Generation makeover. Updated sites come with a suite of new features, such as powerful search and filtering options, a refreshed design, enhanced metadata, and more—including these help resources for students, parents, and staff:
Printable help
Video help OverDrive Help Direct link between students and school staff Staff training For school staff members, we have training materials available on OverDrive's Learning Center to help you build your digital collection, navigate your digital library website, assist your students, and more. Just pick an On Demand recording and watch at any time—we suggest starting with Just the Basics: Schools – Next Generation, Education Evolution, and Advantage for Schools. OverDrive Support
Carrie Smith is a Technical Writer at OverDrive.
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Kobo Donates 3,500 e-Readers to Canadian Native Youth
| Kobo has engaged in a new initiative that will see close to 3,500 Touch e-Readers distributed to Native youth in Canada. The company is also contributing close to $100,000 to to develop a program in conjunction with Free The Children to help improve literacy. Kobo and Free The Children are committed to empowering youth across Canada to develop their imaginations throughout the year-long partnership. A cross-country speaking tour begins October 1st, where this initiative will be brought to various Aboriginal schools and community centres across Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Additionally, the partnership includes working with Frontier College, a nation-wide, volunteer-based, literacy organization, to provide resources to existing Aboriginal literacy programs. Each Kobo Touch will be pre-loaded with books by Aboriginal authors such as Lightning Rider by Jacqueline Guest, Catching Spring by Sylvia Olsen, and Him Standing by Richard Wagamese. This should build some immediate synergy and get the kids reading books right away. “Literacy is fundamental in any young person’s education,” said Marc Kielburger, co-founder, Free The Children. “We are so thankful for Kobo’s commitment and generous donation to help us shed light on the importance of education and literacy, while bringing to life Aboriginal stories and culture to youth across Canada, enriching the lives of young people and helping to preserve a piece of Canada’s history.” This new partnership is launching during a time when literacy rates in Native children are at an all time low. A recent study conducted by TD stated that slightly more than 60% of Aboriginal Canadians do not have the proper literacy skills to participate in society. This new project is trying to focus on the the 46% of the population that does not live in Urban areas and tend not to have internet connectivity. e-Readers are the perfect solution because they can be given away with a number books loaded on them. Kobo Donates 3,500 e-Readers to Canadian Native Youth is a post from: E-Reader News |
Injustice: Gods Among Us Comes to an End, for Now
| If you follow our weekly Digital Comics Best Seller List posts, you know that Tom Taylor’s Injustice: Gods Among Us is typically one of the top-selling comics on every platform, and often the individual issues make up more than half of the top ten. So it was rather startling news when DC announced yesterday that the series is going on hiatus for the rest of the year. This week’s issue, #36, will be the last until January 2014, when Taylor will pick up the story again where he left off. Injustice is a prequel to the game of the same name, and Taylor said that this week’s issue was a good stopping point, “I said early on that we had a definite ending in mind for our story. I knew that the story we were telling in these 36 chapters was essentially the break-up of the World’s Finest friendship. When Superman and Batman’s relationship became irreparable, that’s when our story would end. That tale is told now.” However, we have another story to tell in the pages of Injustice, and that story will begin in January 2014. Taylor cited the rigors of maintaining a weekly schedule, but he also said, “Injustice has been an absolute dream project.” Because the comic is digital-first, print issues will continue to be released for the rest of the year, and DC also plans to release an all-new Injustice Annual in November. Injustice: Gods Among Us Comes to an End, for Now is a post from: E-Reader News |
LinuxCon keynote
| The video of Eben’s LinuxCon keynote has just been made available: enjoy. If you’re one of those people who watches everything we do (we know you are out there, and you fascina (The Weston Wayland demo did not, due to some quirk of the audio visual apparatus, make it into the video: you’ll have to wait until we give the demo again at Maker Faire this weekend to see it in all its glory. I am happy to relate that although the guy with the Pi at the back of the room launched three copies of Scratch at once, everything ran very smoothly.) |
Self-Published Title from Jim Carrey Very Telling about the State of Publishing
| Among the many slapstick and antic-filled films Jim Carrey has starred in, he’s recently appeared in more children’s-oriented films like A Series of Unfortunate Events and Mr. Popper’s Penguins, both film adaptations of beloved children’s books. So it’s not really a surprise that Carrey has now penned a children’s book of his own, How Roland Rolls. What is surprising is Carrey’s decision to self-publish the title about an ocean wave who’s afraid to crash on the shore, fearing that he will die if he does. The title will be distributed on Carrey’s behalf by Perseus Books Group’s distribution division. Jim Carrey is certainly known for doing things his own way and not necessarily taking the popular path, as he has done in the past with his crusade against preservative laden over-vaccination and his current fame as a Twitter ranter against both access to guns and violence in movies; a recent series of tweets targeted a film he actually appeared in, Kick Ass 2, which he now says he cannot endorse with a clear conscience due to its level violence in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings and many other similar events. But what is coming as a surprise about Carrey’s self-published book is that the publicity around the title is no longer about the publishing avenue he chose. In the past, any high profile writer who opted for self-publishing would have made headlines for the decision and quite possibly been made to answer for what prompted the decision. The lack of concern over his option may be one of the most telling indicators that the publishing industry is finally experiencing the shift that we were long promised when digital publishing first took hold. How Roland Rolls is due out on September 24th, and will be simultaneously produced as an enhanced ebook. More information on the title can be found at HowRolandRolls.com.
Self-Published Title from Jim Carrey Very Telling about the State of Publishing is a post from: E-Reader News |
LinuxCon keynote, Maker Faire NYC, Cambridge GCSE Computing news
| You’ll notice I’m posting quite late today: it’s because I’m in the US for LinuxCon, so I’m out by a few time zones. (Thanks to Clive for looking after the blog yesterday.) Eben gave a keynote yesterday, immediately after Gabe Newell (who didn’t give any hints about Half Life 3 – sorry, Ryan). The talk should be put online shortly, and we’ll be here in New Orleans at LinuxCon for the rest of the week – if you see either of us, please come and say hi. You can read a bit more about what Eben had to say at LinuxCon’s conference blog. Later this week, we’ll be heading up to New York City for World Maker Faire. We’ll be based at Pimoroni’s stand in the tent (where a limited number of $40 Raspberry Pi/8GB NOOBS SD card bundles will be for sale – they’re a great deal and we’ll sign them if you ask us to), we will have Pi goodies for sale and a few special items to give away, and Eben will be giving a talk on Saturday at 4pm. As usual, we’d love to see and chat with any of you who decide to attend: come and grab us if you see us. Back in Blighty, Cambridge GCSE Computing Online, the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) we are working on with OCR, the UK examination board, and Cambridge University Press, has just released its first newsletter. If you’re interested in how things are progressing, you should head straight over and have a look. We are intending on having between 30 and 40 of the teaching videos we’ve promised available by the end of the month, with more scheduled for December and April. We’re very excited to be able to share some of the educational materials we’ve been working on with you: we’re looking forward to hearing your feedback at the end of September. I’m off to listen to a LinuxCon talk by Planetary Resources about deep-space data centres. More tomorrow! |
Still No Sony PRS-T3 in the US – Does Anyone Care?
| Tomorrow it will be two weeks to the day when Sony announced the PRS-T3 ebook reader at IFA in Berlin. Two weeks later, and the Sony PRS-T3 is still unavailable for purchase in the United States. In fact it isn’t even mentioned anywhere at all, nor is it available for pre-order; the US Sony website […] |
Copia Contributes Towards Subscription Based Digital Learning in Australia
| Copia hails itself as one of the best known names in the field of digital classroom solutions, and has announced its association with the LearningField project in Australia that aims to provide a complete digital makeover to education in that country. Led by Copyright Agency (described in Wikipedia as “an Australian company incorporated under the Corporations Code for the purpose of providing institutions, especially educational institutions the use of copyright material, in print or electronic form”), LearningField also enjoys the backing of several industrial houses in Australia and is targeted at students aged 7-10. “LearningField is like the 'Spotify' for secondary education, allowing teachers to tailor exactly the content they want to the specific needs of their students, as they can select any chapter of any text in the catalogue,” explained Ben Heuston, director of LearningField. “We have achieved the delicate balance of a model that is flexible and affordable for schools, while ushering in exciting, new revenue models for publishers in the digital age.” The entire project is built around a per-student based subscription model comprising of two tiers, $160 which covers the subjects of English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography, and $250 that covers all 45 subjects. Both the teacher and the student will have at their disposal the entire course material that has been designed as per the Australian, New South Wales, and Victorian curricula. The course material has been devised with input from various publishers which includes Cambridge University Press, Wiley, Oxford University Press, Pearson, and Cengage. Some of the inherent advantages of the LearningField project are that teachers will have complete control over the entire process, be it assigning texts and assignments or keeping track of student progress. Students will have a lot of tools to draw upon, which will help them to engage in group studies or consulting with their teachers, even in private. “A Copia-powered LearningField can be a model for integrating technology, education and publishing around the world,” said Ben Lowinger, executive vice president of Copia. “This initiative creates an environment that provides personalized differentiation to enable meaningful instruction for students at various learning levels. Combined with immediate access to a broad selection of relevant materials from the leading educational publishers, Australian secondary school educators using LearningField will be the first in the world to use this innovative platform. Copia is excited to be part of such a forward-thinking approach.” “Schools have been hoping for a 'one stop shop' across multiple resource providers that works on multiple devices,” said Mark O'Neil, executive director of Cambridge University Press. “We currently provide 72 titles to LearningField, a ground-breaking solution that meets the digital needs identified by some of our customers.”
Copia Contributes Towards Subscription Based Digital Learning in Australia is a post from: E-Reader News |
Disney Launches Interactive Storytelling Apps For Kids At Google Play Store
| Disney Publishing Worldwide today announced the launch of their story telling apps on the Google Play Store, paving the way for the apps to be available to Android users. As of now, there will be eight apps that will debut at the Google Play Store though more apps from the Walt Disney Company's franchises will be made available in due time. “This launch is a natural next step for us given the rising popularity of Android tablets and smartphones among families around the world,” said Andrew Sugerman, executive vice president, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “We are excited to bring the magic of Disney storytelling to life on Google Play and add it to our growing portfolio of apps for smartphones and tablets that inspire and entertain families in the way only Disney can.” Among the apps that will make their debut are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Paint & Play, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Wildlife Count Along, Minnie Bow Maker, and Disney Princess: Story Theater. All of these apps let kids not only enjoy the apps but also get involved by reading, playing, and creating with the characters they love. Users get to “enjoy interactive storytelling from Disney, including digital storybook, activity, and creativity apps that invite families to read, play, and create with characters they know and love,” the company press release stated. Disney Launches Interactive Storytelling Apps For Kids At Google Play Store is a post from: E-Reader News |
