Do Students Need Less Exposure to Technology?

According to an article by Chico Harlan in the Washington Post, South Korea is pulling back somewhat in its plan to revolutionize schools through the use of computers and eTexts.  There is concern that students need real world experiences instead of seeing and learning everything through a computer screen. The fear is that students are already spending so much time with technologies that they need to be exposed to other learning activities. As a result of the change, both paper and digital texts will be used, and students in Grades 1 and 2 may not be included in the plan. Currently about 50 schools are in a trial stage of the “revolution”. Findings in the trial are that student attitudes toward learning improved, but there is no evidence at this time that test scores will improve.

Publishers, however, are working hard to produce digital texts, which were slated to be introduced in Korean schools by 2015. The companies, even considering the worries of educators that students are getting too much exposure to technology, are continuing with their work, because as one publishing leader says, “the shift is inevitable.”

Is the Shift to Digital Texts Inevitable?

Are all students going to be using digital texts in the future? I think so. It seems to be a waste of time to go from print texts to online resources or software on computers that is designed to go with textbooks. We aren’t ready for this change yet, because all students do not have the digital devices they need, few traditional texts have been “translated” and updated to eformat, and even though teachers can create their own texts with the easy-to-use iBook Author and other applications, only the highly motivated will attempt it. Some of us remember the time back in the early 1980s when it was thought that teachers could create their own software. Apple, for example, developed an authoring system called Apple Super Pilot with which the “motivated” created exciting programs for their students. As software became more sophisticated, teacher programs couldn’t compete with what was coming out from software developers.  It will probably be the same with teacher-created eTexts, with the exception that publishers may make it possible for teachers to select (purchase) parts of professionally-developed eTexts so that teachers can weave together various digital offerings into what they need for their courses.

For texts and novels to make use of the benefits of the eformat, they can’t be simply the original text that can be paged through digitally. They must be flexible for teachers and students to use, filled with connections to online resources that enhance learning, and provide for differing learning levels and styles. Although parents and school boards may want educators to rush to eTexts so that students won’t have to carry heavy backpacks, the truth is that administrators can’t just order the eTexts they want because most don’t exist. But they will. There is no doubt of that.

A Puzzle with Some of the Pieces Missing

It’s a giant puzzle, isn’t it? A puzzle with some of the pieces missing. That’s what it feels like if you are a teacher or school administrator trying to decide which direction to head with curricular materials, methods, and equipment. Looking at what’s available, you’ll find traditional textbooks, online courses complete with management systems, courses that are basically text-based but make use of specific digital resources, apps such as the iBook Author that let your teachers or staff develop their own courses, online curricular content for a portion of a course, software you can purchase for your school server or individual computers, apps for specific learning areas, online experiments. . .  Pulling together what is best for your students is not easy, especially when the puzzle is complicated by the need for digital devices and robust wireless networks.

The Education Week Webinar, Forging the Technology – Curriculum Link might help you get started fitting the pieces of your curriculum together. It’s scheduled for March 1, 2012, but if you can’t make the session you can sign up (it’s free) and review what took place in the seminar anytime within the next six months.

Apple's iBook Author & Textbooks

To be sure, you’ve heard about Apple’s education announcement. Do you think it will help end the confusion that schools face over how to or whether or not to, go digital with their texts? Will we be ready for all students to have digital texts in five years as Education Secretary Arne Duncan and President Obama have challenged? Some teachers are already creating their own texts, and with the iBook Author and other authoring systems more teachers will be working on creating the text they believe will work best for their students. Some teachers won’t have the time or interest in doing this, some schools won’t have the funding for digital devices to make use of digitized texts, and some schools won’t have the broadband power to make the transition at this time. A problem that worries school administrators is how to make sure teacher-compiled texts fit the curriculum they want offered in their schools, while parent perception may be that schools can just order etexts and therefore, lighten backpacks. But while novels and some commercial eTexts are available for high school, there are few complete titles for Middle and Elementary Schools. Schools can patch together some of the excellent programs sold by software companies to create coursework, but for the most part, they can’t find in eFormat, the reading, math, science or language arts books they are using now.  The bigger question is, “Do we simply want our current texts in eFormat?” I don’t think so, since it certainly wouldn’t take advantage of the wonderful resources on the Internet, animations, video clips, and interactive media. I, for one, will be experimenting with the iBook Author. I downloaded it a couple of days ago and am anxious to get my book going.

Choices in Tech Resources for the Curriculum Narrowing

Just like textbook choices narrowed as companies purchased each other, the same is happening with education technology curricular resources. As companies watch K-12 looking to complete digital programs for curriculum, management and assessment; they are scrambling to purchase products that will enhance their offerings and provide what schools want. According to Karen Billings of the Software and Information Industry Association’s (SIAA) educational division, “two areas ripe for the most activity are prekindergarten and high school.” Companies are purchasing other companies or merging with others both at a higher rate and with larger transactions (an increase of $2 billion since 2010). Some of the major acquisitions this year were made by Pearson and K12 Inc.  With all the education technology resources available, it’s been difficult for school leaders and teachers to put together their own programs that will fit what they want in the curriculum. These companies realize that having one supplier for school needs in curriculum, assessment, and management will be a major selling point. Sounds good to some, but with fewer choices, will prices rise, and will some of the wonderful smaller company products be overlooked or discontinued by those gobbling up the programs they need?

Will Apple's "Textbooks" Be the Answer?

Everyone knows there’s confusion when it comes to eTexts. So perhaps Apple’s new (January 2012) offerings, which have been both applauded and criticized, will help to move us forward to answers related to the current eText dilemma. Most of the criticism centers around the fact that students will need iPads to use the books and teachers will need them to author their own. The bottom line, however, is that Apple has stepped ahead with its iBook Author desktop app, the expansion of iTunes University and an updated iBooks app. Brad Wheeler, vice president of information technology at Indiana University says, “Apple is credibly seeking to apply its platform and transform the textbook business starting with K-12....” According to Apple, the offering includes the ability to use and/or create beautiful full-screen books containing media and interactives, video, fast navigation, highlighting and note-taking, search, definitions, lesson reviews and study cards.  Sounds good to me.

Give Us Your Input about the Future of Texts

There are a number of online programs that are designed to meet the needs of school courses, especially in the areas of reading, mathematics, writing, and Scholastic Aptitude Test preparation. Are you integrating any online programs into your courses, and if so, how? Those looking to replace traditional texts with digital texts for courses are often finding that they have to compile their own etexts using a variety of online resources. While there seem to be college and some high school etexts and novels available in digital format, etexts for middle and elementary levels are difficult to find. If you’ve discovered a source of etexts for K-12, we’d love to have your input for Power to Learn. As for the future, do you think that instead of depending upon one textbook or ebook for courses, teachers will create their own from a variety of free and for-pay resources online, will today’s texts be used in digital format just as they are today in traditional format, or will schools use complete online systems (for example, K-8 Social Studies) provided by publishers? Add your ideas by clicking on the Comments Link below this blog entry.

Transitioning to eTexts

If you are wondering how to transition to eTexts for your courses, the five-part series by Andrew Marcinek in Edutopia might help. The series details the process used for organization of the effort and gives details of workshop schedules. It shows how superintendents and other administrators, teachers, librarians, and tech specialists collaborated as they established a foundation for creating eTexts for courses at the Burlington High School in Massachusetts. During the workshops, teachers created units or chapters for their courses and/or worked on digitizing materials they wanted to include in their teaching.

The Future of Traditional Textbooks?

With the prices of textbooks going up and budget funding going down, it’s a good time to think about alternatives to traditional textbooks. Do we need one textbook for each student and does that textbook need to be in traditional book format? As the T.H.E. Journal article Signs of a Significant Disruption in the Traditional Textbook Market explains: Florida schools may use instructional materials in place of textbooks; Indiana schools may use “systematically organized material designed to provide a specific level of instruction in a subject matter category”, which may include software, Internet resources, and use of computers and digital devices; and Virginia’s schools are developing their own content for some courses. Open Textbooks are also emerging as a way to give students the content they need while avoiding content teachers don’t use in traditional textbooks.  They can be downloaded from the Internet, are free, and can be modified to fit student and course needs. In a recent T.H.E. Journal poll (as of 01/10/10), 78% of those responding said that they believed open textbooks would be widely adopted within the next decade.  What do you think? Although many teachers today design their own courses and materials, many also rely heavily on traditional textbooks. What will be the problems of not providing traditional texts for all students?