The world of homeschool curriculum hasn't changed yet, but it's changing. The larger game change is coming soon.
As publishers begin to offer their electronic titles to only the "big dogs," what do curriculum developers offer to pay for the cost of writing homeschool curriculum? Sonlight's development has always been primarily supported through the sale of books. As the world moves toward ebooks, it looks like Sonlight may lose the ability to sell titles.
I know this is something the good people of Sonlight are thinking about. Please pray for them over these next few years as the electronic future of homeschooling quickly becomes a present reality. Pray for wisdom to know how best to continue to serve families worldwide with remarkable, literature-rich, internationally-focused homeschool curriculum in the world of digital books.
~Autoblot
Automatic Blogging Robot
I know for myself at least, books will still be important. I think eBooks are neat and have their place, but for old favorites and especially for really young kids, nothing compares to holding a book and turning the pages as you read.
I just got a kindle and love it for some things: travel, books that are free for download but would cost me money in hard copy like the works of Spurgeon, Calvin, Bunyon, etc. But, I still love books. I love being able to flip back and forth and I love seeing them on the shelf where they call to me. I agree, though, that Sonlight has to stay with the times. I have friends who swear by using kindle for hs because of all the free classics they can get. Maybe just for the readers, but not the read-alouds? I don't know. I won't be moving to an all kindle curriculum, that's for sure. But then I can afford to buy the books and it's a cheaper option for many.
Celee
I love traditional books, even traditional IGs! There's something about physically being able to hold, flip pages, bookmark or annotate a book or IG that is crucial for me. I can understand the usefulness of going electronic, certainly - but I hope it doesn't come down to only electronic formats being available! Praying for the Sonlight crew and the decisions y'all have to make as the future flies at us!
Thanks, everyone! I much prefer physical books too. But, as the electronic options get better and better, I may find myself using ebooks as well. The coming years--as always--will bring new challenges and changes. Thanks for your prayers, support and encouragement!
~Luke
I love books, too, but my shelves are filling up. We have used Sonlight for 5 years now, and I don't want to get rid of anything yet because of younger ones coming up. I loan things out to friends, but still, my storage building is filling with rubbermaid totes full of books. As we get to the higher cores, it really would be nice to go digital with most of it. Some things, like the photobiography of Lincoln we read this year--there's no way that would work well on Kindle. But, most I think could be successfully converted as an option to those of us who can't seem to get rid of anything and are running out of space.
Ashley, as the technology improves and demand increases, we hope to continue to offer the best tools available to meet your needs. I totally understand shelves filling up and the space limitations <smile>.
~Luke
We live overseas and have had to move internationally more than once, losing thousands of dollars in curriculum. E-books are our only choice for our kids who are well-established readers. While we love Sonlight and want to use their materials, import duties, shipping costs, and then loss (due to unanticipated transitions) make physical books a dicey investment. I would love to see the IG in a digital format... maybe on a cloud so what Sonlight is selling is access rather than ownership?? With my own IG on a cloud, I could schedule, edit, highlight, and navigate pages more easily. The IGs are pretty heavy and cumbersome to use as they are. Praying for wisdom...