Apple's education announcements: iBooks 2, iBooks Author, iTunes U apps

Today in New York had
place the presentation by Apple of initiatives intended for the world of education
and school textbooks.

You were able to followthe live of the
presentation in this post, where you will find the details of the announcements,
but here is an article summarizing the different new features, which are passing
by iOS applications(iPad especially) and
Mac.

Knowing that we will come back in more detail on the apps on our iPad site
VIPad.fr.

On the menu, a
new major version of iBooks (v2.0) available for free here, a

free Mac app for creating iBooks available hereand one
free iOS application to follow and give distance learning courses:iTunes
Available here:

Apple during the presentation insisted on the advantages of the book in terms
of content and richness but also on its disadvantages: weight,
absence of search, interactive index and others and indicated that he wanted
reinvent school textbooks.

For this, the eBook reading application is upgraded to version 2 for
adapt to even more interactive content (with videos, indexes and
improved summaries, possibility of zooming on images, etc.). Apple in
parallel reported having worked with major textbook publishers
US schools in order to offer iBooks of the textbooks currently in use.

In the wake of these announcements, an adequate reader was needed but also
a way of producing this content that is easy to handle.

This is the purpose of the following two apps:

iBooks

The update to v2.0 is
available on the App Store hereetis the subject
from an article here on VIPad.fr. New features relating to manuals
(interactions, diagrams) are adapted to the iPad.

As a result, the iBookstore now offers algebra,
biology, chemistry, geometry and physics from McGraw-Hill and Pearson but
don't rush, these manuals are currently available for
customers in the United States.

However, an interactive example manual is offered and available,see
ici
iBooks textbooks are created with iBooks Author, the second announcement of
jour.

iBooks Author

Find our presentation:premiers
not with ibooks Author here

Second announcement of the day, a Mac application that helps make
production of these manuals (or other cookbooks, DIY books, etc.)
within everyone's reach. Thus, we find an interface which recalls
that of iWork, the possibility of importing content in a drag and drop
of a word file or a presentation. Interactions and others
specificities are coded in a widely used language since it involves
HTML et Javascript.

The creation of iBooks is "Wysiwyg" and it is possible to send the eBook in
creation to the iPad in one click to test the result.

This application could pave the way for application migration
didactics currently available on the App Store in a more suitable format
in the iBook store. This will be continued.

Good news,
it's free and available now on the Mac App
Store. Bad news, but this is already the case for
applications, you will need a Mac to create iBooks via
this solution.

Apple followed up with a third announcement, iTunes U!

iTunes U

iTunes U is Apple's initiative which allows access to many courses
free from universities around the world. Until now, this
content was accessible from the iTunes app on your iPhone / iPad by going to
search in additional menus.

Apple now offers it its own application at the same time as the whole
becomes more ambitious.

Now when you go to the iTunes U section of iTunes, you are
prompted to load the application.
It is free and available here.

It offers the content already present but adds a concept of course
virtual, in which all homework and tasks will be grouped together in one place.
teacher updates, with the ability to check off completed assignments,
offering content consolidation to facilitate revisions.

Conclusion

Apple had already with the iPad and its various programs approached closely
the world of education.

With these new features, the firm is making a bet, that of adopting its
products and especially its educational content distribution solutions, this
in order to try to seduce the world of education. This represents a gamble
daring because the reluctance to "marry" with such a private actor could
logically repelled within schools and ministries of education, but
the future will tell us if this technological bet pays off in the long term. Another pitfall, the
price of tablets facing Android competition offering inputs of
much cheaper range.

In the meantime, we're curious to see what thetool
of publication, which could lead toproducers of pure
content(cooking manuals, books on plants, various guides, etc.
…) to turn towardsthis lightweight solutionrather than
develop and maintain iPhone and iPad applications as is
Today.

founder of the site. Computer engineer and Internet specialist where he has held various positions of responsibility, Laurent has been passionate about mobility since the arrival of "PDAs" in the 90s. Journalist for 4 years for the magazine Team Palmtops (Posse Presse) and author of several books on the iPad published by Pearson.