Friday, April 29, 2011
Our Choice App
Regardless of where you fall on the "climate change is happening" to "I don't believe in science" spectrum, the app "Our Choice" written by Al Gore and developed by Push Pop Press that was released yesterday is really impressive. If you're feeling flush with cash and are willing to drop $5, I recommend checking this "textbook" out. I imagine that this may mark the beginning of the future of digital textbooks, with seamlessly integrated audio and video and (the part I'm most excited about) lots of potential for making textbooks a more interactive and less passive experience. I've already thought of a number of additional features that could be implemented, but it's an impressive start.
1 comments:
I downloaded this book a few days back and have been poking around with it ever since. Here are a few thoughts so far...
-eBooks still have quite a way to go. While I like the embedded video, audio, and interactive graphics, this book still feels very closed and locked down to me. Text can't be highlighted and commented upon, there doesn't seem to be a way to set bookmarks, and the book doesn't allow the level of social interaction that I would expect.
-Statistics in the graphs and charts seem like they'll get old fast. I wonder if this app will be updated to keep these charts and stats current. I highly doubt updates like this will happen, but the text is digital so who knows.
-I wish this book was also available on the web so it could accessible by people who have a computer but don't have an iPad.
-I really like the non-linear feel of this book. It is super easy to jump around and access content from different parts of the book. It invites you to engage in all sorts of meaningful pre-reading activities (like watching the videos, interacting with the info-graphics, etc), which assists in understanding and comprehension.
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