Embedding Digital Texts

Using Blogger, create a post in which you discuss multiple uses for digital texts, e-learning, and open course software. 

Digital text can be used for so much more than the classroom. I was given a Kindle as a gift a few years ago and, although I do prefer holding a book in my hand, I have easily been able to read multitudes of books in various places, all because I have the device. At my house, sitting at the airport, etc. As long as it is charged, I am able to use it with ease. "The United States Department of Education is also trying to assist K-12 school districts in their transition from hardcover texts to digital texts" (Watters, 2012). If classrooms are a 1:1 learning environment, then every student will have access to a textbook in class guaranteed, and a large percent of our students will have access to that same digital textbook at home or on the go. As the school systems become more intertwined with the rise of technology in education, hard cover textbooks will become a thing of the past. 

I worked for Pearson Education for a bit, and my job was to edit and revise the textbooks they were digitizing. Once they transferred from hardcover to digital, sometimes the graphics would move to different pages or the paragraphs wouldn't come through looking how they should. It was amazing to see that in 2012, so many textbooks were being taken out of circulation and replaced with digital versions in the classroom.

E-learning is the use of the internet to learn. I believe I have been e-learning since I knew how to navigate a computer. I am still constantly e-learning. I will read an article in the paper (I still get a newspaper delivered to my house) and want to research more or see if the story has an update, so I will travel to the online world and find what I need. I also am big into the Universe right now, and being a constant learner, I want to find anything and everything I can. I believe learning is a beautiful thing, and with the help of technology, it makes it much easier. Students can use e-learning both inside and outside the classroom. Every time a student Googles a topic and looks for something, they are e-learning. When students go on social media and find trending events or updates, they are e-learning. When used correctly, e-learning is a fabulous tool that can be utilized on a daily basis, at home or in the classroom.

Open course software is an asset to the general population when taken advantage of. The ability to participate in massive online learning environments for free is astounding. Although no credits are given, the opportunity is really what I believe is being sought out. These courses can help anyone and everyone, from elementary to retired, understand something they may not quite understand: technology, their job, the world, etc.



Watters, A. (2012). Top ed-tech trends of 2012: The battle to open textbooks. Retrieved from http://hackeducation.com/2012/12/07/top-ed-tech-trends-of-2012-the-battle-to-open-textbooks/ Retrieved January 25, 2015 from https://bb.snhu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4597953-dt-content-rid-9233834_1/courses/EDU-685-15TW2-MASTER/EDU-685-14TW2-MASTER_ImportedContent_20131105031644/EDU-685-13TW4-MASTER_ImportedContent_20130607010828/EDU-685_Module_9_Overview.pdf