Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a US-based publisher of textbooks and instructional materials, has created an Algebra 1 app for the iPad. The app contains not only the curriculum but ALL the necessary course materials for the entire academic year. Six schools in California are participating in the pilot program, which will compare the learning of students using iPads and students using printed textbooks.
The iPad, the Kindle, and every e-reader currently in the market have all promised to shrink backpacks and lighten every suffering student’s load by getting rid of textbooks. The question has always been, “is the content available?” Followed by, “can I access it on my device?” Brick and mortar publishing houses have been able to keep up with demand by creating electronic versions of magazines, newspapers, and books (both fiction and non-fiction). Electronic textbooks, however, compose only a very small segment of the market.
HMH’s pilot Algebra 1 app, if successful, can change the marketplace by showing the publishers that there is market growth to be had (and money to be made) in the development of digital textbooks.
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