| How the project started? |
The E-Book Online Project began as the interest of a couple students who
sought to find a better way to help other students do what they do every
day, learn. We live in a time of rapid technological change which is built
upon how we communicate. This is especially true in the field of education
where established principles and new ideas are shared daily. To service the
needs created by these activities, we propose to implement a system that
would allow students to carry all their textbooks and class notes in one
portable, electronic viewing device. This device, the electronic book, would
not have the ergonomic and functional burdens of the standard textbook and
paper notebook. This would free the student to focus on the information they
need to grow academically and reduce the problem of how they obtain it. We
believe this will help students everywhere and that it is the future of
education. |
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| Project Goal |
| Provide at least one Computer Science class
with an electronic text book for use within the next academic
year. |
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| Advantages of the Project |
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- E-books as a way of slashing the costs of production and distribution,which currently account for more than 75% of the
total.
- Article in Chicago Tribune noting that British Airways is handing out
Ebooks to passengers in place of magazines. Passenger approval high
indicates interest in format.
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- Allow for publications to be updated faster, textbooks can be maintained
cheaper.
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- Dynamically configurable content, an eg. of which can be seen at
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/alex/cgi-bin/configure-ebook.pl
- Bookstores don't have to absorb the cost of inventory returned when it's not sold. In Japan, the country with the highest number of readers per
capita, almost 70% of books get returned.
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| Risk Factors of the Project |
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- "DRM," or Digital Rights Management
standard doesn't exist yet.
- Physical books still more appealing (Study lined
with books is an example).
- Cost still too high for electronic versions of
text. Bigger cost savings need to be realized for
ebooks to take off.
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- Publishers wary because of rights management
problems.
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