A Different School of Thought

(from our summer intern, Emily S.)

Ah, college, the original social networking system. When one thinks of this little haven of freedom, what comes to mind? Brick dormitories adorned with ivy, old friends, new friends, outlandish parties, parental liberation and, oh yeah, that irritant called studying. With two-hour lectures, novel length research papers, late night studying, and last minute cramming, these unfortunate activities constitute a majority of one’s college experience. However, once every semester there is an unnerving occurrence in which every student must face: no, it is not preparing for a 25 essay midterm, or making an oral presentation before 90 of your peers – this, my friends, is buying textbooks.

As any seasoned collegiate could tell you, there is nothing more frustrating that waiting in a labyrinth of stanchions just to fork over your next three paychecks for textbooks that may or not ever see the light of day. But it doesn’t end there. One would figure that this monetary hiccup is only temporary as you would surely get to return your “almost new” books for a healthy reimbursement when all is said and done. As you gleefully place your books on the counter to regain what is rightfully yours, you soon find out that this will not be the case --- you slowly walk away cursing under your breath as you count and recount the dollars in your hand --- a fraction of what you originally paid only some few months earlier.

Now, to be frank, I never really saw much sense in buying an Apple iPad. To me, it is just a laptop wannabe with a bunch of fingerprint smudges. Coming from a graphic design student who cares for her iMac Powerbook more than her own well being, that is a generous compliment. Yet, just when you think the iPad may be heading to the same fate as the Apple Lisa, there is a new application on the market for the iPad that could actually justify the cost of its purchase --- and turn this novelty item into a student’s best friend.

A San Francisco based company, Inkling, (www.inkling.com) has brought new life to an old means of reading textbooks. Inkling’s new application, exclusively for the iPad, allows students to download textbooks, or parts of textbooks, directly from the publisher, for a more “hands on” way to read, research, and understand volumes of text and give students, along with professors, a way to communicate information in an engaging and interactive manner that we have not seen before. Some of the features include the ability to rotate 3D graphics, change the size of type, and search for key terms throughout chapters. You can even highlight specific passages and leave notes for others students to read on their own iPads thereby creating more in-depth --- and interactive --- discussion around the work at hand. One would have to say that this is not just simply changing the way we read textbooks but, rather, turning our social networking into more of a learning network.

And if that wasn’t enough, you might say, the Inkling application can be good for your health. No more schlepping around 50 pounds of books in an already too small backpack. Forget your notebooks and laptops. The iPad is now a convenient, accessible, and sleek library weighing in at only 1.5 pounds.

I know what you are thinking. From a student’s standpoint, money is always a factor. If we can’t afford school books, how can we ever expect to come up with the hundreds dollars for the latest and greatest iPad? With Inklings ability to offer its users a single chapter for the ridiculously low price of $2.99, as compared to spending upwards of $150 for a single textbook, it soon becomes clear that even with the purchase of an iPad, a student’s total costs for textbooks can be drastically reduced.

My back is feeling better already.