I was having lunch today with a friend who also works for a major educational publisher. It has been a pleasure over the years to share with him my thoughts about current and future directions in delivery systems for schools. As I've said many times in presentations and in print, the timeline for conversion from paper to digital texts seems to grow shorter every day. Though paper texts will exist for the foreseeable future, it is clear to me that publishers will shift (and already are shifting) the bulk of their resources toward digital properties. Paper will be kept on as a legacy, but it will be neglected and costly.
The first inclination with this conversion has been to create a product that is similar to what has always been. Thus early e-texts were little more than pdf's (photographs) of existing paper texts. In education when we get new wineskins, we always try to fill them with old wine. Paper texts were limited to words and pictures, and early e-texts embraced the same limitations. However, what has been needed, and what is beginning to be done, is a rethinking of the entire paradigm of the textbook to make something new built on what works best, not what is most like the past.
First, I think we should eliminate the term e-text. Even this term is a cramming of the old into a new form. Text in the mind of most refers to writing, and though writing is part of this, it is not the reason for a school resource. I like the term learning system, because it clearly communcates ultimate purpose while recognizing a many-faceted approach.
While the forms of these learning systems will contain various tools including text, pictures, videos, audio, assessments, and tools not yet invented, there are three characteristics that educators and others can look for to evaluate digital learning systems as this new model develops.
First and most important is the quality of the information and pedagogy of the contents. A flashy package can be used to conceal a lack of depth or effectiveness (see: emperor's new clothes). This evaluation is the closest to a traditional textbook assessment. Is the information good? Is it presented so that students can easily interact? Do students who use this resource master the standards? If these foundational needs aren't met, none of the more advanced characteristics will matter.
Second, a true learning system should be interactive and adaptive. A student should demonstrate competency, not just passively stare at a page. Not only this, but the learning system should recognize areas of need and adapt what and how material is presented to meet these needs. This is what technology is best at, recognizing and reacting to a wide variety of options. Even better would be a learning system that could take the granular results of diagnostic testing and create a customized program that meets the needs of each specific student. Finally, if these results were available to the teacher to help with her or his planning, that would be best. Individualization of education is one of the most important trends of the digital future, and this starts with effective tools.
Finally, though it is less important to students than to school, the delivery system, specifically the versatility of the delivery system. Are these resources available on any platform? Are they restricted by a proprietary distribution method? Do they interact easily with other learning tools. This is an area where publishers will need to be pushed, as their inclination will be to protect materials by locking them down, and only by a concentrated effort on the part of schools to favor and purchase materials that are more open and more adapted to universal standards will publishers be forced to comply.
The conversion from paper to digital texts is an opportunity to correct mistakes and make something better, or we can make the same mistakes and let others dictate the model based on financial advantage and not student learning.
As always, I welcome your comments
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