Digital textbooks: an illusion?

Readers of the American publication eSchool News believe that the reality of digital textbooks in school is still a long way off. Here's why: accessibility, relevance, technology and pedagogy.

The editorial team asked their readers what they think of digital textbooks, what the situation is like in their community. The responses revealed that many are still uncomfortable with this idea and foresee the coexistence of paper and digital for several years to come.

The first reason mentioned is that of universal access to technology for students. As long as all students do not have guaranteed and equivalent access to the technology that makes it possible to consult these digital books, the paper version does not disappear. Universal access is a question of technology, but also of price. For example, a deputy director explains that in his opinion, if publishers do not lower the price of their resources, digital is not economically advantageous.

Another point raised, which seems the most important, is that of pedagogy. Some believe that schools and teachers must first understand what using digital tools in education means. This would probably allow us to see beyond the technology / digital manual pairing in such a debate.

Among the other reactions, some show a fear at the level of the evaluation of digital resources - are they reliable, do they achieve the prescribed objectives, do they work well regardless of the platform, etc. One respondent also pointed out that it is not always easy to take notes on digital texts, as it is on paper.

In short, it is not tomorrow the day before that American schools will swap their paper textbooks for fully digital resources. And in your community, how is it going?

To read the full answers in the original article, it's this way!