Ever seen one of those videos where a toddler is holding a phone upside down and pretending to talk? Well, they sure are cute, but what you need to really notice here is that they are already familiar with how to use a smartphone! They know they can talk through it and that when you press certain keys something moves across the screen, and there’s light and sound coming from within. Basically, there’s interaction happening, and that is what attracts them towards a mobile phone.
Now take the phone away and give them a storybook. What do you think they would rather prefer? An interactive and responding device or a book that doesn’t do much?
Schools and universities understand the power of digital technology that kids find so appealing. Slowly but surely, they have realized that smartphones and tablets can also be utilized for educational purposes, and that’s how etextbooks became mainstream. Today there are many educational institutes that have incorporated etextbooks as part of their curriculum.
Tags: education technology • etextbook • K-12 Education