I was reading a commentary on Channel News Asia written by Dr. Tay Hui Yong about the benefits of digital textbooks and it’s potential of transforming learning in the classroom. Dr. Tay’s line of thought was that the student could conduct queries immediately and have access to multi-media platforms that in turn eliminates the one-directional education style that Singaporeans are so used to. She then bring’s up a thought provoking opinion in the last part of the article that states:
Certainly, digital textbooks are not a panacea for better learning, because whether we can unleash the potential transformative powers of digital textbooks will depend on the actions we take.
I find it amusing that Dr. Tay goes no further to discuss other digital platforms for instruction even though she acknowledges who digital natives are and how best they could learn.
After going through 4 weeks of web 2.0 applications, my opinion is that digital textbooks should be the least of our concerns! Educators should spend time thinking about curriculum changes. For example, the incorporation of personal learning networks, produsage projects and collaborative sharing platforms. It is time for us to think out of the box and truly harness the power of the digital era.
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