Digital devices vs textbooks: Research remains divided
Digital devices transfer the responsibility of teaching to an electronic source rather than a human being and takes away the human touch through which so much learning takes place
Published: 03:09 PM,Sep 18,2024 | EDITED : 07:09 PM,Sep 18,2024
With the ubiquitous presence of digital devices in every home, their use in education is naturally the subject of much debate. Devices like tablets, laptops and even mobile phones carry all the information required for traditional learning, including textbooks, exercises, experiments and suggestions for extra work.
So why are they not more popular in schools across the world?
Both, books and tablets, are a growing market internationally as the young population increases in many parts of the world, including Africa and Asia, if not Europe.
While the textbook publishing industry in the United States is an $11 billion industry, the tablet market is worth $18 billion. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 97 per cent of youngsters between 8-15 own at least one digital device, most commonly a smartphone. In Oman, 99 per cent of children use technology, with 75 per cent using smartphones and 45 per cent also having access to computers.
Leveraging this availability of digital resources seems to usher in exciting possibilities in education. Students can explore and discover endless forms of knowledge, learn independently and pursue their own specific hobbies and interests. Encouraging the use of digital tablets seems the logical next step.
Of course, using digital devices like tablets in schools is a very good idea, especially as it combines traditional education with current technology.
The advantages of using tablets in school seem obvious: lighter school bags, more possibilities for interactive activities, economical in the long run and environmentally friendly. In addition, learning on digital devices makes updating of material easier and the learning material can also be tailored to address specific student needs and levels.
And yet, educationists caution against a wholesale embracing of digital devices in the classroom, especially in the primary stages of learning.
An important reason for resisting the use of tablets at the primary level is that this is the time that children are learning essential skills like writing by hand, identifying and using colours as well as understanding shapes and numbers in the real world.
The link made between the brain and the human hand as it is writing, drawing or colouring is well documented. These are basic skills that help a child to process information, not just understand the final product.
There is also the associated loss of curiosity and wonder among children for whom answers are waiting at the end of their fingertips. There is no doubt that wandering in a small garden, participating in a seeding activity or actually mixing colours to make a new one are still irreplaceable experiences that no technology can replace.
On top of this, digital devices transfer the responsibility of teaching to an electronic source rather than a human being. This takes away the human touch through which so much learning takes place: values, social skills and interactions form the core of childhood education.
There are no clear answers as to whether digital devices should be used in a classroom. Rejecting such tools outrightly is clearly not an option in today’s world. A more judicious use of such devices, with appropriate teacher training is the need of the hour.
Sandhya Rao Mehta
The writer is Associate Professor, Dept of English and Translation, Sultan Qaboos University
So why are they not more popular in schools across the world?
Both, books and tablets, are a growing market internationally as the young population increases in many parts of the world, including Africa and Asia, if not Europe.
While the textbook publishing industry in the United States is an $11 billion industry, the tablet market is worth $18 billion. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 97 per cent of youngsters between 8-15 own at least one digital device, most commonly a smartphone. In Oman, 99 per cent of children use technology, with 75 per cent using smartphones and 45 per cent also having access to computers.
Leveraging this availability of digital resources seems to usher in exciting possibilities in education. Students can explore and discover endless forms of knowledge, learn independently and pursue their own specific hobbies and interests. Encouraging the use of digital tablets seems the logical next step.
Of course, using digital devices like tablets in schools is a very good idea, especially as it combines traditional education with current technology.
The advantages of using tablets in school seem obvious: lighter school bags, more possibilities for interactive activities, economical in the long run and environmentally friendly. In addition, learning on digital devices makes updating of material easier and the learning material can also be tailored to address specific student needs and levels.
And yet, educationists caution against a wholesale embracing of digital devices in the classroom, especially in the primary stages of learning.
An important reason for resisting the use of tablets at the primary level is that this is the time that children are learning essential skills like writing by hand, identifying and using colours as well as understanding shapes and numbers in the real world.
The link made between the brain and the human hand as it is writing, drawing or colouring is well documented. These are basic skills that help a child to process information, not just understand the final product.
There is also the associated loss of curiosity and wonder among children for whom answers are waiting at the end of their fingertips. There is no doubt that wandering in a small garden, participating in a seeding activity or actually mixing colours to make a new one are still irreplaceable experiences that no technology can replace.
On top of this, digital devices transfer the responsibility of teaching to an electronic source rather than a human being. This takes away the human touch through which so much learning takes place: values, social skills and interactions form the core of childhood education.
There are no clear answers as to whether digital devices should be used in a classroom. Rejecting such tools outrightly is clearly not an option in today’s world. A more judicious use of such devices, with appropriate teacher training is the need of the hour.
Sandhya Rao Mehta
The writer is Associate Professor, Dept of English and Translation, Sultan Qaboos University