On this blog and elsewhere, I have talked extensively about the need to differentiate instruction, the inefficacy of textbooks in doing that, and the potential of mobile technology to make a huge difference.

Recently, the Indiana State Board of Education issued “An Open Letter to Indiana Educators about Textbooks, Computers and Instructional Materials” (worth a read if you haven’t already) that said essentially that textbooks are not effective or engaging. It went on to encourage schools to pursue technology-based or other instructional materials in lieu of textbooks and to request waivers to use textbook funding for this purpose. They even specifically mention “content-loaded mini-laptops.”

Wow!

This is a very bold and laudable step. I hope that schools will take advantage of this and that other states will follow suit.

Could mobile tech finally be positioned to replace textbooks?

One thought on “Could mobile tech finally be positioned to replace textbooks?

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