Was Van Halen making an educational statement about a student who protested about the multitude of wasted paper our classrooms churn through each year and as such, refused to bring paper to class? Back in 1984, did these heavy metal musicians really have the foresight to envision a classroom where paper was as old fashioned as chalk and slate? Probably not. But nonetheless, thanks to mobile media innovations, Derek Walker, education sales manager of Acer Computer Australia, believes that’s where we’re heading. The paperless classroom.
Such claims come to light in response to Claire Reilly of current.com’s article which discusses a new partnership between computing giant Acer and traditional textbook publisher Pearson Australia. The two companies have joined together to make traditional and popular textbook series available as e-books through an android device, the Acer Iconia Tab A500. Pearson spokesperson Arthur Baker claims that students and teachers accessing traditional resources through a digital format will support new learning approaches (2011). Walker adds that such a move is taking technology and making it part of the lives of both students and teachers (2011).
While technology continues to evolve and change, it is important to determine whether such a device is just a ‘cool’ technology, or something that has benefit to the learning process (Rockinson-Szapkiw, Holder & Dunn, 2011, p238). Studies completed by Rockinson-Szapkiw et al (2011) show students retrieving information from an e-reader to experience greater organisation of ideas, increased engagement with content and more educational motivation (236-238). As well as this, using e-readers in place of traditional textbooks is a way to bridge the gap between student personal mobile media and student school mobile media. A certain goal in building life long learners.
With such evidence of greater motivation, engagement and organisation; perhaps if the student described in Van Halen’s song had an e-reader, he wouldn’t have been tardy all the time. Actually, I think I’ve missed the point of the song.
References
Reilly, C. (2011, September 22).Paper-less classrooms: one step closer with Iconia Tab textbooks. Retrieved from http://www.current.com.au/2011/09/22/article/Paper-less-classrooms-one-step-closer-with-Iconia-Tab-textbooks/BEIHHVIZZI.html
Rockinson-Szapkiw, A; Holder, D & Dunn, R. (2011). Motivating students to learn: is there a difference between traditional books and e-books? Proceedings of Global Learn Asia Pacific 2011. 2011. 235-239. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1207&context=educ_fac_pubs
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