Digital books or eBooks are important in today’s K-12 classrooms for a variety of reasons. The ebook represents a technological advance in the book from a two dimensional to a three-dimensional information tool, replacing the page with the screen and enlivening text with rich imagery, sound, and animation (Roskos, 2012). eBooks support the Universal Design for Learning and can help all learners to succeed. They also support the implementation of new literacies and new standards. In addition, digital books can save school districts money in the long-term.
They Support the Universal Design for Learning
Digital books support numerous UDL guidelines and checkpoints which can be used to help all learners. These include illustrating the content through multiple media and offering alternatives for visual and auditory information. In addition, eBooks provide students with information at their own reading level, offer ways of customizing the display of information, supply background knowledge, provide students with more opportunities to engage and physically interact with the material, and provide the students with access to the text anytime or anywhere. Students can learn at their own pace on their mobile devices, iPads, or laptops. Children’s sense of control, multisensory behaviors and communication contribute to their engagement with eBooks and capture their attention, interest and enjoyment in the reading experience that primes them for learning (Roskos, 2012). When eBooks are used to capture the attention and interest of students, this makes the learning more authentic. Teachers can use eBooks to help support all learners in the classroom by using the above guidelines, checkpoints, and strategies suggested in the Universal Design for Learning.
They Support the Implementation of New Literacies and New Standards
Reading e-books lets students practice screen-specific learning and comprehension skills that will become increasingly important as society shifts even further toward digital texts, both in the classroom and in the world beyond (Brown, 2016). This supports what we learned in our New Literacies course last semester about the need for teachers to incorporate lessons that use online comprehensions skills in order to prepare students for their future careers. In addition to supporting new literacies, eBooks can be used to enhance learning with the new standards. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards, there has been a decrease in the need for the old-fashioned textbooks. Learning has become more inquiry-based and student-centered, which means that students need to discover information on their own. Digital books can help students become more engaged with the information and discover new ideas and concepts at their own pace.
They Save School Districts Money
In the article, The Future of Textbooks: Ebooks in the Classroom, the marketing manager of a digital textbook company discusses how eBooks can save school systems money. He talks about how textbooks are easily damaged, lost and quickly outdated. Digital textbooks, on the other hand can always stay up-to-date, and are inexpensive to replace (Woudstra). Think of the money that could be saved in the long-run if school districts would embrace the importance of eBooks today.
References
Brown, A. (2016). Digital Content Drives Learning, So Long As Schools Are Prepared.
Retrieved May 08, 2017, from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/05/digital-content-drives-learning-so-long-schools-are-prepared
Roskos, K. A. (2012). Typology for Observing Children’s Engagement with eBooks at Preschool.
Journal of Interactive Online Learning.
Woudstra, W. The Future of Textbooks: Ebooks in the Classroom. Ebook Publishing. (n.d.).
Retrieved May 08, 2017, from http://publishingcentral.com/ebookpublishing/the-future-of-textbooks-ebooks-in-the-classroom/
No comments:
Post a Comment