Digital textbooks open a new chapter

BBC ^ | October 18th 2011 | Gary Eason

[Cardhu]

South Korea, one of the world's highest-rated education systems, aims to consolidate its position by digitising its entire curriculum.

By 2015, it wants to be able to deliver all its curriculum materials in a digital form through computers. The information that would once have been in paper textbooks will be delivered on screen.

South Korea's Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Ju-Ho Lee, said that his department was preparing a promotion strategy for "Smart Education", focusing on customised learning and teaching.

The project, launched during the summer, will involve wireless networks in all schools to allow students to learn "whenever and wherever", as well as an education information system that can run in a variety of devices including PCs, laptops, tablets and internet-connected TVs.

He said the government would support an open content market containing a variety of learning materials, aimed at keeping up quality while keeping down costs.

"Smart Education will change how we perceive textbooks," said Mr Lee.

"The transfer from the traditional paper textbooks to digital textbooks will allow students to leave behind their heavy backpacks and explore the world beyond the classroom."

Tech-friendly teenagers

The intended benefits include extending the choice of subjects for students in rural areas who previously have lacked specialist teachers and to make it easier for pupils to study from home.

South Korea's teenagers should be particularly receptive to such educational technology.

An Organisation for Economic Co-ordination and Development (OECD) international assessment found that 15-year-olds in South Korea were the most competent users of digital technologies in a survey of 16 developed countries.

They were best at evaluating information on the internet, assessing its credibility and navigating web pages.

South Korea's pre-eminence has not come about by chance.

[Cardhu]

It has been among the most improved education systems in the world. In 1945, 78% of the population were illiterate. It now outperforms all European countries and the US at reading.

South Korea is second in global rankings for reading, fourth for maths and fifth for science Family spending on education is the highest in the world, as a proportion of household income

[New Jersey Realist]

Great idea! Think of all the money saved on books.

[Cardhu]

Save the trees - :)

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It will never happen here.

Textbooks are a monopoly. That's why they are so expensive.

Mathematics doesn't change. You don't need a new textbook every years. There are open-source textbooks that are excellent, but the teachers unions are against them because they don't cost enough.

[Jonty30]

That’s only about 5 percent, which would be eaten up within a year.

Some real cost savings will be found when they can digitalize the educational experience and have as few professors, and the supporting administration, teach as many as possible.

There, you would save billions.

[Cardhu]

You are right about textbooks being a monopoly. Still a book or a Kindle is worthless unless you actually read it. I am absolutely sure that the Asian students will.

[Jonty30]

Many professors write their own textbooks, publish them, and then make them required reading for their students.

The make a killing.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Cardhu.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Some real cost savings will be found when they can digitalize the educational experience and have as few professors, and the supporting administration, teach as many as possible.

There, you would save billions.

This guy is IMHO showing how to do exactly that:

The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.

All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.

Our library of [over 2600] videos covers K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even reaches into the humanities with playlists on finance and history. Each video is a digestible chunk, approximately 10 minutes long, and especially purposed for viewing on the computer.

Practice math at your own pace with our adaptive assessment exercises. You can start at 1+1 and work your way into calculus or jump right into whatever topic needs some brushing up.

Each problem is randomly generated, so you never run out of practice material. If you need a hint, every single problem can be broken down, step-by-step, with one click. If you need more help, you can always watch a related video.

khanacademy.org

If we're going to have a Department of Education, it should fund Khan, and others more specialized, to produce internet education for everyone, in every discipline.

[Jonty30]

I’ll look it up.

That could be of interest to me.

Thank you.

[VeniVidiVici]

Wake me when they start making tablet toilet paper. Think of the savings!!

[Kenny Bunk]

I do a bit of tutoring in Maths at the local CC.

Lemme tell you, I could now teach a reasonably smart hunting dog such kid-killer subjects like Algebra and Geometry. The new materials are fabulous.

BTW, the HS math and science teachers on the job nowadays, almost universally, are terrible. They are not alone. I meet plenty of "language" teachers who could not reasonably expect to be served a glass of water in the language they "teach." Foreign? Sure is foreign to them!

[businessprofessor]

Textbooks are a monopoly. That's why they are so expensive.

Textbooks are not a monopoly at least in most subject areas. In most areas, there are 2 to 5 books that dominate. The competitive situation in textbooks is similar to communications (wireless, pay TV) with a relatively small number of competitors.

The biggest problem with textbooks is that instructors pick the books. Instructors are not particularly price sensitive. They are rather risk averse not wanting to bear the burden of a poor textbook choice.

The tradebook market is very competitve unlike the textbook market because individuals choose the books at least primarily. Textbooks also have very high development costs with sometimes four or five review cycles before a first edition is ready. Textbook development is capital intensive with the author advances, review cycles, and ancillary material required.

The used book market also inhibits the development of competing textbooks. Textbook sales fall sharply after the first year as used book sales dominate.

I would prefer an electronic model of textbooks especially as an author. I can eliminate the used books and sharply reduce the price of my material.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Things like Algebra don't change. You don't need a new textbook every three years.

There are open source alternatives.

$200 Textbook vs. Free. You Do the Math.

But public education isn't about education. It's about raping the taxpayer to the maximum extent possible.

[businessprofessor]

There are open source alternatives.

I have not seen much traction in the open source textbook movement in business schools. There was a lot of talk a few years ago but the idea does not seem to have gathered much momentum. It may be a lack of capital. The open source software movement has been heavily bankrolled by Microsoft competitors as least initially. In the open source movement for business school books, contributors were supposed to be compensated but I am not sure that it ever happened. I am not sure that a loosely integrated and poorly compensated group can write a cohesive textbook.

Both K-12 and university education are money pits. K-12 is labor cartel dominated. University education is supported by sympathetic legislatures, $100B student loans per year (with loose repayment terms), and entry barriers to remake higher education.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Both K-12 and university education are money pits. K-12 is labor cartel dominated. University education is supported by sympathetic legislatures, $100B student loans per year (with loose repayment terms), and entry barriers to remake higher education.

All true. Yet it seems that a workaround is possible.

Ping to my #9.