Fwd: [P1] iBook article in the NYT

[Linda Van Thiel]

> I was watching kids today struggling under the weight of their 
> backpacks and wondered why none of them where smart enough to have two 
> sets of books, one for home and one for school...

Cost is a big facor to having two sets of books.  I am amazed, though, 
by the number of college students that <choose> to carry their books 
around with them. They highlight their book (a very thoughtless task) 
as  the teacher lectures instead of having a binder in which they take 
notes during lecture (good pedagogy since writing helps cement the 
facts in their brains).  Then they run the chance of losing the book or 
having it stolen and when it is time to study they simply reread the 
highlighted passages.  More would be remembered by transcribing  notes 
to study for a test. No wonder the average student is doing several 
percentage points less than 10 years ago.  The bright students are 
still as bright (or more so), but the average student is more --- well, 
average!

> Maybe we should investigate the monopoly on knowledge that the printed 
> book publishers have and their lobby with the school boards that spend 
> zillions buying and rebuying their books. If the EB can be put on CD, 
> surely school books can. Or the knowledge could be put on the > 
> internet.

Also, I do work for a biology text for McGraw Hill.  They sell the book 
(1000+ pages) on cd, but students can't highlight the pdf files now can 
they?  There is a greater problem with the campus bookstores.  I just 
got the fall 03 request list yesterday!  They want to be able to shop 
for used books from ressellers rather than get new books from a 
publisher.  Books are bought back and resold at a great profit - 
student gets $40 for book, bookstore resells same book next semester 
for $85 (new book costs $100).  For a 3 week storage period $45 profit!

Linda
SE MI
>