Last week there was an article in The New York Times on the ever-burgeoning array of e-book formats, which got me thinking once again about digital textbooks and how to sort through the log jam of devices.    I recently bit the bullet and got the new "textbook" Kindle.  I downloaded a few samples from textbooks-graphics are pretty fuzzy.  The big problem is that these e-readers are set up for a linear read, and we all know that this is not how students use textbooks most often.  If I am writing a history essay and I just can't remember which of those Richards committed the atrocity I want to discuss, how will I find that out?  With the Kindle, it could take 15 minutes of back paging, with few visual clues.  The search function doesn't really do the trick...

We know that digital textbooks haven't taken off as much as we might have thought, despite their obvious price benefits.  I think that is because they have to be more than cheap and portable.  They also need to create a more flexible experience, including:

• Content that is more granular than a chapter.  And, it must be quick and easy to search and browse and find that all-important formula or nugget of information.
• Links to related content, such as the content the instructor has put up on the school learning management system, or the online homework. 
• Interoperability with other devices and formats.  A student should be able to engage with any digital textbook in his/her library via the computer, an e-reader device, an iPhone or other PDA, etc.
• Enhancing the printed textbook with rich media and/or interactivity.

Kindle and some of the iPhone apps are a step in the direction.  Many are waiting to see what Apple does next (rumors abound).  But, if we want digital textbooks to become ubiquitous, to help solve the pervasive problem that printed textbooks are too expensive, then the industry has to focus on creating standards and interoperability.

By Carrie O'Donnell