Talking Point: Should paper textbooks be replaced by
e-books ..
While e-books are making their presence felt,
schools continue to have paper textbooks. Will we ever overcome the traditional
format
E-books are
a great addition
Technology is percolating in every sphere of life, including the way we teach and learn in school. It is customising education, based on the particular strengths and interests of students. In short, it is a systemic and helpful method to improve the process of learning. Although e-books are a wonderful way to imbibe technology, there is still a lot of value in paper books and I do not think they will be completely phased out from schools anytime soon. E-books are a great addition to our modern way of learning more in terms of accessibility while paper books create a sense of structure and rootedness around learning. They are both equally effective options.
— Y K Sindhwani, head of school, Lancers International
School, Gurgaon
Paper books bring a sense of ownership
Paper books are now being complemented by e-books in many schools, but replacing them will take a good amount of time. Paper books bring a sense of ownership to the students regarding the subject matter it covers and is a convenient way to refer. E-books do provide portability and help to browse and scan a particular topic from the fingertips but are not recommended for students of young age as the devices are very fragile in nature. They can be a good option for senior students but as a teacher or parent, paper books will help a student to focus more. Similarly, a parent and teacher can also have a focussed approach while teaching children at home. So, a complementing approach is best.
— Jyoti Bhalla, principal, Manaskriti School, Faridabad
Paper books bring a sense of ownership
Paper books are now being complemented by e-books in many schools, but replacing them will take a good amount of time. Paper books bring a sense of ownership to the students regarding the subject matter it covers and is a convenient way to refer. E-books do provide portability and help to browse and scan a particular topic from the fingertips but are not recommended for students of young age as the devices are very fragile in nature. They can be a good option for senior students but as a teacher or parent, paper books will help a student to focus more. Similarly, a parent and teacher can also have a focussed approach while teaching children at home. So, a complementing approach is best.
— Jyoti Bhalla, principal, Manaskriti School, Faridabad
Digital content is a challenge
In today’s scenario, not many good and branded publications are strongly into an e-book. To choose the correct digital content is always a challenge for a teacher. A 2017 US research shows that a student may prefer to read from e-book but they do not read it closely and hence do not get much out of it. Printed books can be read anywhere, but that is not possible with all digital devices. Digital books are lighter to carry and can be easily updated. However, content is always a challenge.
— R Eswaran, CEO, Vikas Vidyaniketan, Vizag
Boon for special needs students
With the arrival of the digital revolution in India, schools need to make appropriate changes to match with it. The adoption of e-books in classrooms is the primary step towards acquiring digital skillset. The first step towards their mitigation is the usage of e-book readers, which condenses thousands of books into a small device. This will be beneficial to the children only if we have free internet access. The content of the books can be altered based upon the Lexile English comprehension level, ensuring all children can understand the material. This will be a boon to children with special needs, as font size can be altered as per their needs and text-to-speech engines are integrated into the devices.
— Poonam Kumar Mendiratta, principal, The Manthan School, Greater Noida West
No comments:
Post a Comment