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According to an article in Campus Technology, for optimum use as a textbook replacement an iPad should have 3G connectivity so that the student is not limited to wifi networks.  The article also says:

After trying out the Apple iPad for a short period–about three weeks–three out of four college freshmen said they’d be willing to purchase an Apple iPad personally if at least half of the textbooks they used during their college career were available digitally, according to the results of a classroom poll at Abilene Christian University. According to Scott Perkins, coordinator of mobile learning research in the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning at the Texas university, a similar willingness to purchase the devices was borne out among participants in semester-long pilots, which included both graduate and undergraduate students.

A majority of students who had the chance to work on the devices within their classes reported that reading on the iPad was “more convenient” than reading from traditional paper textbooks. But they also rated paper texts as “easier” when asked to compare the two.

However, prime time is not here yet.  There simply aren’t enough textbooks, the article says, currently available to make a switch to an iPad.  Professors don’t have enough choice in textbooks at the present time.

Thanks to Michael von Glahn for the link.

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