I need to finish revising my book, so this will be quick. Here’s what just went down on Twitter:
An article on Atlantic Tech reviewing a new reading app rubbed me the wrong way, because apparently the writer thinks the marks of a good reading app are that it looks like a print book and allows for sharing.
WHY must reading apps be social?! RT @TheAtlanticTECH The e-reading software that’s better than Kindle or iBooks: http://t.co/J9JEOFI3iZ
— Kim Werker (@kpwerker) December 3, 2013
And then I couldn’t let it go. So instead I said a lot of things on Twitter. Here are some screenshots (read each image from bottom to top):
Specifically, the realm of instructional content could truly be revolutionized if done right:
Lest you think I’m only full of hot air:
A lot of people responded. I’ve spent pretty much the whole day talking with people about this, and I think three people even asked to be hired. I’m putting all this here partly as a reminder to myself that this is important to me, and also as a reminder to myself that it’s important to a lot of people who aren’t me. And also because I’d very much like to continue this conversation.
So tell me, do you buy instructional ebooks (cookbooks, crafts books, etc.)? Do they work for you? Could they work better?
Do you write instructional books? Do you publish them digitally? How’s that work for you? Could it be done better?
You know I’m in. I do buy instructional ebooks – both cooking and craft. (In fact, I got the ebook of the second Teach Yourself Visually Crochet edition today.) And probably others, too. Most of my ebook buying is nonfiction. They could definitely work better – tapping an image to go to a video demonstrating a technique might be nice; moving back and forth between cooking instructions and the ingredients list with one tap; I’m sure there’s more improvements I could think of if I took the time. I also – as you know but others joining us in the conversation might not – am the managing editor for a University’s educational outreach program. Historically, we’ve published tons of instructional resources for K-12 educators to use, both directly in their classroom and to guide them to become more expert professionals. We’re exploring new models for publishing this kind of content. Our two greatest achievements, I think, are a comprehensive NC history textbook and a wonderful series of articles on differentiating instruction. Both of these brought in multimedia elements, and the article series actually included interactivity both in the form of an online professional learning community and webinars with the authors of the articles. I’m currently editing a series of articles about improving language arts instruction. The authors and I will be working together to make sure this series takes full advantage of the digital environment. The authors will also be presenting live workshops, and I really hope I can figure out a way to capture that experience for people who can’t physically make it. All of that to say: While those are our best work, most of our content is static text or images. There is little opportunity for interaction. Something we’re considering that I think might be especially valuable… Read more »