The New Media Literacy Project (NML) is concerned with teaching skills to prepare students for the upcoming digital age. These skills will be needed to function in the future. Also, new technologies are becoming a part of our culture. So, as future teachers and students, we should be preparing to grasp our newly developing culture.
I read the article "As Classrooms Go Digital, Textbooks May Become History." There is the possibility that as the classroom becomes more technical, textbooks will be on a decline. Some students already have laptops. It is tentative that students will be given iPods and digital textbooks with their textbooks loaded on it. Not purchasing textbooks would the the schools big money. Although it has its benefits, textbook publishers would lose a lot of money. One has to consider low income families may not have internet accessibility available at all times. This problem can lead to a digital divide, which means a wide gap between the rich and the poor.
I understand your concern with low income families, but I feel like this will be a gradual thing. The new technologies will not automatically be implemented into classrooms where the community cannot afford it. Plus, there will probably be governmental assistance somewhere if need be.
ReplyDeleteJim Fawcett (W6) will discuss the economics of digital vs. print in his Project 11 presentation. I think it will reveal that it will be less expensive, and far more productive, for individuals and families to invest in hardware and internet connections rather than printed materials.
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