Computers vs books

Flaring up into a seemingly never-ending battle on the educational horizon is the textbooks versus computers battle — and everyone is taking sides, says L. Williams in an article published not long ago in the Sydney Morning Herald.

A group of confident educational consultants and e-learning experts have boldly predicted the "death of textbooks" in about five years, even though their predecessors in the industry, who saw the invention of the computer as a revolution in the way people learn, have been making the same prophesyever since the computer was introduced. "They said that 15 years ago," said Dr Stephen Germic, Chair of Liberal Arts and Assistant Professor of English at American University of Dubai, "but I strongly disagree. Books are never going to disappear… there is a subtlety to teaching methods and critical thinking that can't be translated into a higher quality, technological force." These conflicting views have placed textbooks at the centre of a power struggle currently thriving in classrooms… but can a five-century-old culture of print legitimised as a significant source of authority be effaced by a two-decade old digital culture plagued by broadband connections that give access to chaotic, unfiltered information? This is a current concern of both teachers and parents. Dinosaurs of our age Substantiating allegations that textbooks are the dinosaurs of our age are the textbook-free high schools springing up in various states of the US and neighbouring countries, which are supported by governments, educational institutions and staff and parents alike. According to the article, The Department of Education in Mexico has completely cut off textbook supply, issuing instead "smart boards", which are electronic blackboards connected to computers and the internet, a similar idea to WebCT offered by universities, but more comprehensive and operating live in the classroom. Learning to learn So is this really a better, more dynamic and fun way to learn? Is it time for the revolutionary historical shift to materialise? What most people are unaware of is that technology doesn't simply mean more convenient, lightweight CDs or online texts that banish heavy textbooks — it is instrumental in changing the entire way in which we think and learn.

"Technological developments have certainly changed the nature of learning," said Dr Germic, "and the implications of these learning methods are beneficial as they can deliver to a larger audience." Furthermore, whereas textbooks provide static information in which a uniform version of knowledge is transmitted in one direction, the internet on the other hand is immune to such standardisation of knowledge. Through digital learning, students can research, filter and assess information, then construct their own versions of knowledge from multiple sources. Subsequently, this more interactive way of learning is culturally enriching in terms of the research process and the outcome, offering students a more convenient version of reality that helps them understand the world. Most middle of the line schools have internet access and teachers can steer students when it comes to online learning resources and research. From posting homework online or chatting about novels on the online forum, thus encouraging discussion amongst peers and allowing the shy ones to speak up, worthwhile progress is being made. The technologically challenged The main goal of the e-learning model‚ — tailored to suit varying aptitudes — is to teach students how to learn and evolve themselves by turning them into independent and confident researchers. An obvious concern is whether there is a mismatch between the digitally literate younger generation and the digitally challenged older adults, teachers or parents, who are products of the print culture. Many teachers realise the importance of keeping up with this cultural shift in which vital learning areas such as maths are now explored through new ways like animation, so keen on staying ahead, teachers have been educating themselves at public and private learning centres and labs. As for parents who fail to come to grips with these changes, opt for the protection and limitations of books, which they view as more productive than the mayhem of Yahoo or Google. According to Dr Germic, this is essentially a matter of "change in skills versus a change in values… which is why there needs to be more control of how information enters the students' minds." "E-learning has clearly increased the opportunity to violate integrity as any sense of ownership diminishes," said Dr Germic, and testifying to this is a problem quick to take its toll-the cut-and-paste trend where kids are simply cutting and pasting their essays for submission in classes. Although there has been a recent explosion of websites exposing plagiarised essays being set up and used, which have rendered this solvable, Dr Germic still believes integrity is a "massive problem yet to be adequately confronted by the industry." Technologically infatuated Moreover, holding the revolution back is the prevalence of hard copies of fiction, history, biography and autobiography books that children still insist upon having. Then again, students and teachers also demand add-ons like the CD version of the book as well as online content and updates — making it clear that the book alone won't do. "There is massive investment in the publishing industry that will always keep books around," says Dr Germic, "and the value of books also comes from the fact that they can be taken to all sorts of places that computers can't." Consequently, rather than signaling the death of textbooks, this seems to point towards a compromise where the change may be taking place but at a slower pace than first thought, if not only because of existing investments in the industry, the high costs of equipment and maintenance or the shortage of teachers with IT skills, then just that feeling of precaution attached to something so new and unprecedented. "The chalk and the chalkboard are irreplaceable pedagogical tools," says Dr Germic, "and we shouldn't allow ourselves to get lost in our infatuation with technology." Cutting off books Schools are generally able to freely make decisions concerning the introduction of technologically advanced equipment as a teaching method. However the actual rate of change that any given school experiences when it comes to this issue is governed by the availability of funds for such new and expensive technology as well as the provision of teachers that possess the skills to use it. Fortunately, the Ministry of Education in the UAE plays a pro-active role in pursuing high quality educational strategies like the e-learning strategy as well as advocating the use of advanced technology in educational institutions of the country. In Australia, a number of fundamental steps have been introduced to carefully and successfully bring about this so-called revolutionary change, starting with Mathletics — a new online mathematics teaching tool that has been bought by more than 700 Australian private and government schools. Mathletics enables more than 600 young children to work online on an electronic version of additions and subtractions, or even playing maths games against kids across the country, as the programme simultaneously reports their progress to both their teachers and parents.