From Textbook to E Book
As I was reading through module 3 I repeated thought about how my own method of reading has changed drastically over the last 3 or 4 years. I have always been an avid reader, enjoying a wide range of books from Historical Fiction to scholarly articles. A few years ago my husband and I decided that our collection of books was getting out of control. For Christmas that year he bought me an iPad and an Amazon gift certificate; thus began my love of e-books. A few years later I started my MET program and my love of e-books went to a whole new level as I discovered the ability to rent textbooks in electronic form on a semester basis. I was amazed, and relieved, that I wouldn’t be forced to shell out hundreds of dollars on textbooks every semester that (let’s be honest here) I would not likely ever use again once I had completed my coursework. This whole shift in reading printed material in book format to reading printed material in electronic format is where I see our school system heading. At the school where I work we have spend a great deal of energy discussing textbooks in staff meetings, without actually ever buying any. The problem with textbooks is that they are outdated as they are printed. As soon as new or conflicting information is learned textbooks need to be edited and revised, a task that can take years. Add to this the fact that our curriculum is not static and the huge financial investment in textbooks that a school is required to make may not make sense anymore. Both my school and my district have heavily invested in technology in the last few years, ensuring that there are adequate number of devices in our schools as well as equipping all classrooms with wifi, makes me think that in the next decade we will be handing out tablets rather than textbooks at the beginning of the school year.
E-books and textbooks in electronic format have the advantage of containing links to websites or interactive simulations or activities that relate to the subject matter making the textbook itself an interactive device. Bolter (2000) comments on the idea of the e-book where he believes that it will start to take over printed works. This will be a gradual process where Bolter (2000) believes that physical printed books will still remain important for the next few decades. Bolter (2000) also mentions that some people believe that the printed book will never disappear because they are much easier on the eyes and therefore will never become extinct. Bolter did write his book prior to the whole iPad and Kindle inventions and prior to the drastic advances in computer screens that claim to alleviate some of the eye strain of older devices.
Even if we transform the textbook into electronic format adding interactive links and activities, is the whole notion of textbooks antiquated? According to Ong (1982) the printing press forever changed the intellectual world as it allowed knowledge to be quantified (p. 132). As time went on the printing press allowed print to become more valuable than writing and speaking and eventually authority shifted from spoken word to printed text (Bolter, 2000). The textbook is the end result here, the thought of knowledge on a subject quantified and printed in one book thereby holding authority. With the internet we are exposed to so much information, much more than a textbook could ever contain, quantification is next to impossible. After spending the last week or so thinking about textbooks and their relevance I am left with a few questions. Do today’s students need to have all the information, or do they need to have only what is relevant to them at the moment? If they only need what is relevant to them, who decides what is relevant? Does the textbook still hold authority for today’s student?
In my previous position I worked as the Technology Services Facilitator at a small college. I had 24/7 access to many of the latest gadgets, but found that I always quickly migrated back to my laptop and desktop. Most of my work day is spent on the computer, as is the case in my current job. I prefer the larger screen and the use of an ergonomic keyboard over a smaller device. Outside of my job, I have tried using e-readers, and I have rented textbooks (as recently as this semester), but I always end up abandoning the electronic version in favour of the printed version. Alter (2015) describes the current declining popularity of e-books and e-readers as consumers migrate to other devices. Some consumers are returning to print or are reading both on their devices and in print. There is evidence that publishers are investing millions in “print infrastructures and distribution”.
You talked about how you envision in the next ten years “handing out tablets rather than textbooks at the beginning of the school year.” I do not think that textbooks will become antiquated anytime soon. Some of the ongoing issues surrounding technology include training, cost, accessibility, reliability, and predictability. In my experience working in the post-secondary system, instructors are expected to keep current with new technologies, and incorporate these technologies into their teaching. Many instructors are unwilling to learn new technologies because they do not want to waste their time learning something that will be gone in a couple of years. Some instructors have a negative attitude towards technology because they do not comprehend it quickly or they fear technology will replace them in the future.
I think it is important to research, evaluate and recommend the use of new technologies before spending millions on rolling them out to the masses. I was a member of the academic technology committee at my college. Our team, a group of volunteers, included department chairs, faculty from each department, students, and staff from IT and the Learning Commons. Members of the committee would test technologies in the classroom over a semester, and would seek feedback from their peers and students about the technologies. This information would be shared with the committee, and the college would roll out the technologies to specific departments. Early adapters were the best promoters of a technology, as were students. Students who are accessing multiple devices are clogging the network. Post-secondary systems struggle with the costs associated with technology. Students complain about connectivity issues, the reliability and predictability of technology.
Alter, A. (2015, September 22). The plot twist: E-book sales slip, and print is far from dead. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms/1QXZyvn
Thanks for your post, despite the fact that I am still struggling to find a love for e-books as you have, I have to say that I agree with you. We are in fact already handing out tablets at my school and while we still use textbooks they are e-textbooks. While some students are like me (still learning to read on a screen) there are some definite advantages to using these e-books for learning. Overall it safe money in the school budget, and student’s backpacks literally become lighter, since they do not have to carry large books to and from school. That also means that there is no excuse for forgetting you book at school or at home, and therefore no excuse (or at least one less excuse) for not doing your work. Additionally, teachers can link different chapters or sections of the book for students to use one piece at a time, this can be a lot less overwhelming for some of our more vulnerable students. It also allows teachers to easily link the textbook along side other materials, making the textbook one of several resources available for students. Seeing multiple resources on one topic is much more closely aligned with what students will experience outside of the classroom and can help them practice evaluating different resources. To answer your last question I do think that at this moment textbooks (digital or not) still hold some authority for students. A good chunk of that authority comes from the importance the teacher puts on the textbook. Regardless, I do believe that with time and as students digital literacy skills improve (and teachers provide more varied resources) the textbooks authority will diminish.
Hello,
Thanks for your post; it’s an area I feel very passionate about 😉
I think all the questions you prose on the relevancy of texts are great ones. The fact that textbooks are dated the minute they’re printed is a relevant concern. For example, while many of the concepts or ideas in the readings of ETEC540’s “modern” component could still be argued as valid, many of the examples were quite dated.
Personally, I feel quite strongly against textbooks. That said, I’ve only been trained and taught under a constructivist lens – so yes, I’m biased. Luckily, I’ve only taught under curriculums that also feel the same (New Zealand and International Baccalaureate). Maybe it’s just my generalist elementary background/mentality, but I find textbooks to be disengaging for both teacher and learner. Is it nice to have textbooks as a resource to garner ideas from? Sure. Necessary? No. Information is so easily available; all information is a simple search box away. Living in the age of so much Web 2.0 curated content, I don’t feel there is a need for this dependency.
I’m a big fan of authentic learning that situated in context. Brown et al. (1989) posit that, “learning methods that are embedded in authentic situations are not merely useful; they are essential” (p. 37). Why would we have students measuring lines in a textbook when they could be constructing something that caters to needs and dimensions of their classroom or playground? Learning should also be transdisciplinary as possible, so scaffolding can happen in every aspect of their learning. Furthermore, I believe in learning that is embedded around concepts and applied through problems. As Savery & Duffy, in regards to problem based learning (PBL), elucidate, “[t]he focus is on learners as constructors of their own knowledge in a context which is similar to the context in which they would apply that knowledge. Students are encouraged and expected to think both critically and creatively and to monitor their own understanding i.e. function at a metacognitive level” (1995; p. 14).
Here’s an example of what I’ve mentioned above, with no textbooks. I could apply this to all of our six units of inquiry throughout the year. I teach to a curriculum and yes, address learning outcomes. Our current unit of inquiry is on sharing the planet with a central idea of people having an impact on the environment. One of the concepts is responsibility. In maths, we’re looking at graphing and data. We conducted a survey on how many disposable cups students were using at lunchtime. We thought about the impact that has on our environment. We looked at different types of pollution, deforestation and consumerism. This leads to how we should have a greater responsibility and show action. We come up with a plan to persuade the principal to invest in reusable metal cups. In literacy, we delve into persuasive text features, then write an exposition piece to the principle. Without going further in depth, I hope I’ve illuminated authentic learning in a situated context, one that has transdisciplinary links (i.e. subjects are integrated and not stand-alone) and is centered on conceptual understandings (e.g. responsibility) through a problem (e.g. pollution caused by disposable cups).
References
Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational researcher, 18(1), 32-42. Retrieved from http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~tefko/Courses/612/Articles/BrownCollinsDuguid.pdf
Savery, J. R., & Duffy, T. M. (1995). Problem based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework. Educational technology, 35(5), 31-38. Retrieved from http://jaimehalka.bgsu.wikispaces.net/file/view/Problem+based+learning+An+instructional+model+and+its+constructivist+framework.pdf/154393315/Problem%20based%20learning%20An%20instructional%20model%20and%20its%20constructivist%20framework.pdf