Digital Bonhomie: An Imaginary Conversation with Adriano

Yesterday morning, Adriano sidled up to my cubicle and presented me with his iPad. As Lerner's marketing intern, I'm used to this--not because staff members regularly give me expensive gifts, but because I've been helping Adriano test out the new batch of Lerner Interactive Books™. After he handed me the iPad, loaded up with a fresh round of iBooks to check, the following exchange may or may not have taken place.

Amy: So how many more of these are there?

Adriano: Well, we have 237 titles and counting--including 12 titles in Spanish.

Amy: Yes, I've seen the Spanish ones. That's a lot of iBooks, Adriano.

Adriano: It sure is. But it's quality over quantity. Remember, we offer content spanning a wide variety of grade levels and subjects, so there’s a Lerner Interactive Book for every reader.

Amy: Really? Every reader? Even struggling and reluctant readers? And English language learners? And readers who are advanced beyond their grade level?

Adriano: All of the above. 

Amy: I guess that explains the three audio speeds. It's like the Goldilocks effect, except that each speed is "just right" for a certain kind of reader. And I guess the word- and phrase-highlighting helps too.

Adriano: It sure does. The sight-sound association builds vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Plus the single-word playback feature is ideal for your ELL students.

Amy: Yes, I've spent a lot of time making sure that you can click on any word in the text to hear it pronounced again. Not to mention the glossary terms, which you can click to read and hear a definition. 

Adriano: Have you enjoyed the extra features? The quiz, the fun tab?

Amy: When I was interning in the editorial department, I actually helped create some of the fun tab content! So I have a special love for all the videos, recipes, activities, and surprising facts that expand on the material in the main text.

Adriano: Hey, that reminds me. You're a writer. Want to write my blog post for me on Tuesday? I'm getting too important for that gig.

Amy: I could never hope to fill your digital shoes, but I'll do my best. Any words of wisdom I should be sure to include?

Adriano: Well, there's always my catchphrase...

"My name is Adriano, I manage the Lerner Interactive Books™ , and I am proud of my product."

There you have it, folks. Now I'd better get back to testing those iBooks. Here are some links to tide you over till next time.

Why statistics in the digital book world confuse the best of us [idealog.com]

There's more than one way to kill a book. Ask Amazon users. [New York Times] 

What do early computer programs and 19th-century looms have in common? [boingboing.net]