CommuniCrossings Software for Mobile Learning and Communication

Course Description

?2012 Fall; Ashland
2012 Spring, Medford; 2011 Fall, Ashland
Sessions: 5
Course URL: http://communicrossings.com/olli-course-e-books

Are you curious about electronic books (e-books): what they are, how they work, when they arose and why you should care? We will learn about E-book history and formats and how to assess current eInk and tablet devices, such as Kindle, Nook and iPad -- and eReader apps. We will explore self-publishing trends, tools and resources for authors. Depending on class interest, we will discuss impacts of E-books (newspapers, magazines, ...) on readers, authors, publishers, bookstores, libraries, schools and society.

• "We'll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Internet. Uh, sure." ~Clifford Stoll, 1995
• "E-books are here and here to stay. Later than a lot of people, I for the first time downloaded e-books and it’s miraculous for travel and for children in particular. I feel great about taking Harry into this new medium." ~J. K. Rowling, 2011
• "I hate them [e-books]. It’s like making believe there’s another kind of sex. There isn’t another kind of sex. There isn’t another kind of book! A book is a book is a book." ~Maurice Sendak

About the Instructor

Steve Weyer has been fascinated by "hypertext/media" and electronic books for several decades. His 1981 PhD dissertation ("Searching for Information in a Dynamic Book") evaluated the use of an electronic history book by 5th grade students; he subsequently researched interactive encyclopedias. In 1995, he developed and distributed a hybrid book reader / web browser -- Newt's Cape -- for the Newton MessagePad. Now, he enjoys multiple reading options on his Apple iPad.

Steve has 40+ years experience with computer software, including research and development for Stanford University, Xerox, Atari, HP and Apple on programming languages, education environments, electronic books and artificial intelligence. During the 1990s, Steve consulted on enabling technologies for pharmaceutical research, including document management. After moving to Ashland in 2006 (after first visiting in mid-70s), he’s been enjoying non-technical activities such as hiking, rock climbing, reading, theater, improv comedy, volunteering, and OLLI classes; at OLLI, Steve has offered CROSSWORDS and YOU, Evolution of the Internet, and an Internet Issues Community Lecture.

Course Topics

The following topics will be covered over the five (5) sessions of this course:

1. Introduction: Syllabus and Course Materials (below)
   Why E-books?; History; General Trends
2. Formats; eReaders and Tablets: Introduction
3. eReaders and Tablets: Google, iPad, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Overdrive, Other
4. Authors and Self-Publishing
5. Issues: Publishing Business; Learning, Textbooks; Children; Fiction, Literature; Manuals, Reference; Newspapers, Magazines; Bookstores; Libraries; Book Clubs; Future

Course Materials

These online pages will be used for course presentation & resources:
http://communicrossings.com/olli-course-e-books

You will also find this link on the OLLI site: Course Materials (at least for the current term & course number). This online version allows you to explore items that we skim/skip or that you miss -- look for links to articles and other web sites; it also allows me to update the course easily with new or revised items.

There will be no PowerPoint slides or paper handouts; however, these pages will remain accessible on this site after the course is finished (and be updated if the course is offered later). For those who prefer paper (or an archive), .pdf versions of these pages are available via the [.pdf] link at end of each page; these .pdf files also contain active web links. This main course page also contains a [.zip] link to download all of the .pdf files in a single .zip file archive. (.pdf files updated: 5-Apr-2012)

I welcome feedback -- during class or via Contact Us (link at upper right) -- about particular topics/issues you'd like to discuss, about the pace and level of detail, etc.

For most topics, I generally refer to Wikipedia, New York Times, vendor sites and other sources -- as good starting points (though certainly not the only ones) for exploration. Note: any images or other media provided on this site are for instructional/personal use and should not be redistributed; you can click on most images for a larger version. Photo galleries (under iPad and Self-publishing) should display properly in most modern web browsers (Internet Explorer (IE) users may experience problems and see a warning message). Access to some article links may be limited by site, e.g., monthly quota imposed or login required.

[.pdf] (this section); [.zip] pdfs for all sections and subsections [16.4Mb]