Study on the future of digital books and online documentary resources in distance education in French-speaking Canada

* The document is available here.

Prepared for the Francophone Distance Learning Network of Canada (REFAD; www.refad.ca) by François Dallaire and Sharon Hackett from the Documentation Center on Adult Education and the Status of Women (CDÉACF; http://cdeacf.ca), this document presents the possibilities and impacts of the electronic book on distance learning in a French-Canadian context.

This study, which can also be considered as a practical guide, is based on three axes:

1) Electronic book technologies.

In this section, we discuss the different technologies that allow the use, edition and distribution of the electronic book in an educational and distance learning context. We present in a practical way the software and technological tools that allow teachers to produce and distribute electronic books to support them in their teaching.

2) The landscape of electronic books in the Canadian Francophonie.

With the perspective of the world of education, we analyze and present the educational electronic book market that is available to the Canadian Francophonie. We will also look at the emergence of important free resources and self-publishing practices. Our portrait presents this landscape of the electronic book at the secondary, college and university levels,

3) Educational applications of the electronic book.

For the three levels and for distance learning from the community environment, we explore different practical applications of the electronic book. Specific examples of the use of the eBook in each context are presented emphasizing the many advantages of the eBook as a teaching tool.

REFAD would like to thank the CDÉACF team for the implementation of the project. This project was made possible with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage (www.pch.gc.ca).