Inkling iPad Textbooks Add Group Study

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 08/31/11

A company that's converting textbooks into iPad apps has just released a new version of its platform. Version 2.0 of Inkling has a new study group feature that lets readers of the textbook communicate with others in class or Facebook friends by posting questions and comments on a specific page.

Inkling currently works with McGraw-Hill and Pearson to recreate textbooks into digital applications that include 3D models, interactive assessment, and real-time collaboration capabilities.

The new release allows the reader to organize notes, highlights, bookmarks, and links in a notebook that's stored to the cloud. From within the textbook, the student can search results from Wikipedia or Google and have them appear inside the book. Search results can also be saved to the note-book for later access.

"Inkling is not about making digital replications of textbooks. Instead they transform the content to create an interactive and immersive experience," said Warren Wiechmann, a faculty director within the Instructional Technologies Group at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. "Static text has embedded multimedia and self-assessments that allow the students to work with the material, not just read it. As medical education moves towards a more active and engaged learning experience, Inkling stands out as a product that excels in this arena."

"Inkling has set the standard for the future of textbooks," added Jason Seitz, a political science instructor who uses Inkling in his classroom at Georgia Perimeter College.

The company currently features 50 textbooks in its online store. Each can be purchased in full or chapter by chapter, typically at a discount. For example, the iPad-based 13th edition of Strategic Management by Fred David and published by Pearson can be purchased for $139.99; any chapter from the book is $13.99. The hard copy edition sells through the Pearson Web site for $197.33.

The company said in a statement that it has more than 50 universities recommending or requiring Inkling this fall.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • white clouds in the sky overlaid with glowing network nodes, circuits, and AI symbols

    AWS, Microsoft, Google, Others Make DeepSeek-R1 AI Model Available on Their Platforms

    Leading cloud service providers are now making the open source DeepSeek-R1 reasoning model available on their platforms, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

  • illustration with geometric shapes, digital circuitry, and subtle icons of an open book, graduation cap, and lightbulb

    University of Michigan Launches Agentic AI Virtual Teaching Assistant

    At the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business, a new Virtual Teaching Assistant pilot program is utilizing agentic AI to provide students with 24/7 access to support and self-directed learning.

  • robot waving

    Copilot Updates Aim to Make AI More Personal

    Microsoft has unveiled a range of updates to its Copilot platform, marking a new phase in its effort to deliver what it calls a "true AI companion" that adapts to individual users' needs, preferences and routines.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Launches Claude for Education

    Anthropic has announced a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.