To date I have primarily blogged about how Tablet PCs are enhancing teaching and learning. A recent meeting of the Chameleon Federation reminded me that digital publishing technology is making a quiet revolution in the world of books – and the potential impact on teaching and learning is enticing.

The Chameleon Federation is relatively new organization launched by HP of more than 20 digital publishing thought leaders and researchers from universities around the globe. Last week I attended their bi-annual meeting, held this time at Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, California). What became clear is that digital publishing services such as “print on demand” and “variable data printing” are opening new (and affordable) possibilities for classroom teachers – and their students.

I’m sure many of you are already aware of photo book services from photo sharing websites like Snapfish. But you may find it intriguing that there are other companies, like Lightning Press, are using digital publishing technology so that anyone can produce their own novel, collection of short stories, or whatever, printed and bound (paperback or hard cover) in quantities of ONE or more. They are gorgeous – and affordable.

While I don’t think self-publishing will replace the juried review of scholarly work, I do think print-on-demand can open new possibilities in education. Imagine creating compendia of student work, for example – a collection of 5^th grader’s poems, a paperback of short stories from a middle-school writing class, or a fully indexed collection of senior capstone design projects, hard-bound and in color, all become possible. There’s nothing like a professional book and an authentic audience to bring out the best in student work. Not only does a fine book make fine reading, it becomes a great “marketing” tool for the instructor – and the fund-raising potential is just waiting to be tapped (parents will jump all over these books!).

I must say that what really got my attention at the Chameleon Federation meeting was a comment by Frank Cost, Associate Dean of the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology and co-director of the RIT Printing Industry Center. He reminded us that people read printed material differently than when the same content is presented on-screen. Printed content is read more circumspectly – savored, even. Learners take more time to dwell on the significance of the printed word.

This is why I am particularly excited about this new chapter in publishing. I look forward to seeing what you and your students produce in this era of Books 3.0.

If you have any experience using "print on demand", please post a comment and let us know how you used it and what you think about the possibilities!

Jim Vanides, M.Ed.
Program Manager - Worldwide Higher Education Philanthropy
Hewlett-Packard

For information about the HP Technology for Teaching philanthropy initiative in higher education, visit www.hp.com/go/hpteach-hied