South by Southwest has emerged as one of the top events to showcase new technologies and product announcements. Education will be a major topic this year and Pearson is leading the charge.
Pearson announced today that it will be showcasing its new iBooks and digital education initiative at SXSWedu. The iBooks presentation will go down on Tuesday while Wednesday will showcase their plans for the digital classroom of the future.
Pearson has been at the forefront of interactive textbooks by designing learning experiences based around video, 3D animation and other interactive images. To continue this trend, Pearson CEO Marjorie Scardino will be using her keynote at SXSWedu to showcase their new iBook line that allows students to digitally highlight, take notes, bookmark, quickly look up definitions, link to relevant topics and more.
“Educators across the country are making a major push to transform the classroom experience by integrating digital programs that will help better prepare students for college and careers,” said Mike Evans, Pearson Senior Vice President. “The classrooms of tomorrow are digital, and iBooks are among the interactive programs that will help teachers reach the Facebook generation of students in a way never before possible.”
While the push for iBooks is commendable, the cost of the iPad and other materials will still have to be considered. We reported on a study that found traditional textbooks to be the cheaper way to go for high schools at this point in time. Apple is the main factor when it comes to cost, but Pearson could introduce a way to lower costs somewhat so smarter education could be more affordable to all, especially in those areas that need it the most.
We’ll be covering more SXSW 2012 events and announcements as they happen, so stay tuned to our coverage.