Multi-Media Textbooks: Are you ready for the revolution?
Posted by PLB Blogger · 3 Comments
With advances in technology, we have all been watching the way textbooks are being replaced at homes and in classrooms. A new generation of books is now entering the arena. Apple is coming out with their new iBook, a multimedia textbook. Multimedia textbooks are books that contain not only text, they may contain images, videos, puzzles and other learning activities. A number of organizations are already using similar technology, and Apple is going to make it easily available to everybody.
What does this mean to teachers, education and learning? It probably means that we need to start thinking about how we can use etextbooks in our classrooms. We may need to modify our approach to teaching in many ways. There are definitely some benefits that will come from using such e-books. The e-textbooks are fun and interesting. Interactive learning is always best for students, and of course, they are suitable for students with different learning styles.
But as we prepare and plan for this change, there are some questions that we need to think about. Is there a value in not having/being forced to read a textbook vs. being entertained by a new iBook that has movies? Will there be less need for children to learn how to read and write as this technology becomes more accessible and available? Will learning become a passive process?
What are your thoughts on the introduction of Multimedia eTextbooks into our classrooms?
A multi-media textbook is a wonderful way to engage readers! All teachers know that visuals are the bridge to understanding difficult text. To “see” photosynthesis in movie form will help students understand the concept. The i-books have text as well. They just have the movies imbedded for greater understanding. Interesting informative texts can be given to students as well if an article furthers a students’ understanding. Teachers know that a variety of sources teach. The i-book won’t be the only source of information that students use, but it will be a powerful tool to engage and inform students! I am in awe of Apple to make such a wonderful product that can change with time. Textbooks are expensive and are outdated quickly, not to mention how heavy they are in backpacks. I’m all for change that empowers student learning!
Since when did reading become passive? If it is passive, so it was when it was NOT on technology. Having videos and interactive underlined words would allow greater understanding since students could easily look up definitions or background information that would clarify the importance of what they are currently reading. Also, students could see, hear, and maybe even smell history; multiple intelligences would be handled with one reading. Students would connect all of the subjects when they read. For example, they could watch A Beautiful Mind. They could pause it and look up Game Theory. Later, they could pause to delve into schizophrenia. They could look up the Nobel presentation and hear his thanks to his wife for sticking by him. They would have learned about economics, health, love, physics and much more.
I just read A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. Apple’s new i-books are why the right-brainers will rule the future. The design, the narratives in words and movies, will engage and further understanding. One more point…When I read by myself, or read with children, we always have questions and go to “google” to find images and movies to give us further understanding. Apple’s i-books do it all for us!!!!!