The end of the textbook?
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| Professor John Hedberg |
With the use of technology for teaching and learning on the rise in schools, is the end of the textbook nigh?
Professor John Hedberg, Head of Macquarie University's ICT Innovations Centre believes students are reaping the benefits of new technology and innovations, but does not discount the use of textbooks.
Textbooks as a technology
"People have been predicting the demise of the textbook since the advent of the personal computer," says Hedberg. "But they have still hung on. If you think about the book as a technology - it has no batteries, you can carry it anywhere and you can dispose of it. It is really quite convenient. In that sense, why would we lose them totally? But textbooks do have their drawbacks."
There are two major problems with textbooks according to Hedberg. Firstly, textbooks are increasingly more expensive to produce and purchase than CD-ROMs. Secondly, textbooks are kept and re-used over a long period of time and therefore are not responsive to rapid changes in information.
"Increasingly we are asking our students to be analytical and search for information through electronic sources and the information they find can be current and it can also be wrong," says Hedberg. "They are doing things they haven't been doing with textbooks: that is look at the reliability and voracity of information, and incorporate that within their thinking."
Technology in the classroom
"Technology works in education but it is all about finding the right technology to do the task," says Hedberg. "Interactive whiteboards are an interesting development which is growing in popularity and use."
An interactive whiteboard (IWB) is a large, touch sensitive board which are connected to a digital projector and computer. The projector displays the computer image onto the board and the computer can be controlled by touching the board with a finger or a pen.
"In recent years there has been a growth in the use of learning objects, usually short flash animations or short simulations that focus on learning one particular topic," Hedberg says. "The IWB allows you to add illustrative examples which are dynamic and interactive and can be controlled by the teacher or the student."
The IWB is popular as it doesn't change the nature of what the teacher does in the classroom. "The reason why computer labs don't always work, is that the lab environment cuts across the teacher's ability to work with groups in the class," explains Hedberg. "The IWB is a facility of addition rather than a facility of division."
For further information contact Professor John Hedberg john.hedberg@mq.edu.au