In South Korea All textbooks to go digital by 2015

[RamboLiberal]

Thick textbooks weighing on students’ shoulders may disappear in four years.

The government seeks to convert all paper textbooks into digital versions by 2015, the Education Ministry said Wednesday.

Using smartphones, tablet PCs and smart televisions, school students of all ages will be able to view the content of existing textbooks, ministry officials said.

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The ministry plans to digitize all subjects for elementary school students by 2014 and for middle and high school students by 2015.

http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110629000838


A student writes a note on a tablet computer during a class at a Seoul elementary school designated as a pilot school using digital textbooks. (Yonhap News)

Subject I'm now following after big discussion last week on DU.

IMHO this will happen in many countries. Will the U.S. lag? Should it?

[BigDemVoter]

1. Oops, I thought you had written NORTH Korea. . .

And I was going to respond that they certainly don't have much to put in those text books other than praises for their "Dear Leader" but I suppose you mean SOUTH Korea. . . .

[RamboLiberal]

3. Fixed the subject - thanks

[dkf]

2. We could do so much more with electronic books.

Everything could be up to date and current. It could test for profiency, and loop the lesson til they get it. Or if they can't it can be flagged for assistance.

How exciting!

[RamboLiberal]

4. Well some here last week had arguments & cautions against

[RamboLiberal]

5. Tablets make digital textbooks cool on campus

Prentiss Ashford wouldn't call himself a big fan of economics, but the sophomore at Abilene Christian University in Texas says this semester he found himself turning to his econ textbook whenever he had spare moment.

"Just the fact that it's on the iPad and it's all on there, makes me a lot more interested," Prentiss says.

Abilene Christian University paired with digital publisher Inkling and McGraw Hill to test-drive new interactive textbooks in a handful of classes this year, as part of the school's three-year old mobile-learning initiative.

"I think there are some really interesting possibilities with digital books," says Bill Rankin, ACU's director of educational innovation. "Books that re-imagine what a books is; that integrate media; that integrate social networking."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-06-17-digital-textbooks_n.htm

This year, Amazon.com reported that it began selling more e-books than paperback and hardcover books combined. Long established magazines and newspapers have already started the transition into all electronic publishing. By the time today’s kindergartner reaches high school, all textbooks will be digital. All new library media will be digital.

Students will have access to thousands of books, newspapers and magazines from devices that will make today’s iPads look like stone tablets. These devices will not just be readers, but interactive communication devices that allow remote teaching of courses not part of the normal curriculum.

Tomorrow’s student will have more and it will cost less. No more paying the full cost of a book just for a few updates to the previous edition. No shortages of textbooks. No textbooks collecting dust in a closet. No more studying Spanish when you really wanted to study Portuguese. Much of this transition is already underway and with each passing year we will have opportunities to realize savings while enhancing the quality of education for our children.

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/theridgefieldpress/columns/97567-democratic-view-making-school-computers-secure.html