From the Stone Age to the world of digital textbooks

Tablets instead of textbooks? Digital versions of textbooks are already available from certain publishing houses. They are not yet widely used in the classroom, despite the majority of German citizens seeing clear advantages in the use of digital textbooks – according to a recent survey (link in German) of 2,194 people from 14 years and over carried out on behalf of the Bitkom digital association.
 
According to the survey results, approximately 68 percent of respondents thought that schools should invest more in digital textbooks. This view was particularly prevalent among those in the 14–29 age group where as many as 77 percent supported such investment.
65 percent of those questioned saw the great advantage of e-books was that they could be kept up to date and continuously improved and revised. They also made carrying heavy textbooks around a thing of the past.

In view of the survey, the Verband der Bildungsmedien (Educational Media Association) is calling for increased budgets for schools and long-term financing commitments for digitally-supported teaching and learning. New devices and applications provide simplified access to knowledge, but require an efficient digital infrastructure.

Editorial staff (alb)

Sources

Image source: image from Wokandapix / CC0 1.0
References for information: Bitkom.de 24.10.2017, Bildungsklick.de 26.10.2017, Bildungsmedien.de 26.10.2017