[Sigdl-l] Can eBooks Satisfy? Creating Content for ICT-enabled Classrooms

[Puna Das]

Can eBooks Satisfy? Creating Content for ICT-enabled Classrooms

Join the discussion on the EduTechDebate.org website

Infodev | 10 August 2009 | Washington, D.C., United States 

While there is much effort & focus on deploying educational hardware in the developing world, much less hype and attention is focusing on the content students will use once these systems are in the hands of hungry young minds.. How can educational systems, and the stakeholders that support them, adapt existing and new content onto these devices? Will this adaptation be able to challenge the existing income streams and vested interests of current content production & dissemination models? And should this content focus on ebooks and other electronic media the replicates existing content, or is this an opportunity to change the way in which content is created, teacher's educate, and students learn?

During the Human Development Network webinar, "eBooks & Affordable Access to Digital Content for Teachers, Health Care Workers & Agricultural Extension Agents in Southern Africa", which looked at lessons from the IADP Affordable Access Initiative Partnership with African Universities, a sidebar conversation came about on the instant message board that was associated with the webinar. From this conversation came a very interesting questions:
* What is the impact of open access resources for primary schools on the current educational content creation models? 
* Will educational systems, and the stakeholders that support them, be able to adapt existing and new content onto these devices? 
* Might this adaptation facilitate a more egalitarian content creation structure, challenging the existing pricing structures and vested interests of current curriculum production & dissemination models? 

Please join us for what we all expect to be a lively and informative conversation.

JOIN DISCUSSION HERE!! http://edutechdebate.org/

Source: http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.402.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anup Kumar Das
New Delhi, India
http://anupkumardas.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


      Yahoo! recommends that you upgrade to the new and safer Internet Explorer 8. http://downloads.yahoo.com/in/internetexplorer/