Digital Text is an extremely valuable asset to teachers and students. It provides students with unlimited access to unlimited copies of a certain text the teacher provides. Digital text is also an extremely important piece of online education. Our lecture is based on digital text and is read across the world but all for our classroom. It offers instant access to millions of documents which otherwise could take weeks even months to read. Digital text also allow for programs to pronounce the words and help readers who may be struggling with a word. Digital text are also a cheaper option for budgets that do no have much money to spend. They are cheaper for college students to use as well. Digital Text offers many useful tools for special needs students. Dr. Tracy Gray, director of the National Center for Technology
Innovation (NCTI) and the Center for Implementing Technology in
Education (CITEd) at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), points out the many uses of digital text, if they tools are used properly. Gray in Fortenbury says, "Schools and educators have the opportunity to use these tools in a very
creative way," Gray continued, "But as we always say, it's not about the
technology -- that's only a tool, it's really how you use it. Teachers
need to continue to support to do it well" (Fortenbury, 2012) Digital text may have some drawbacks but as a whole is an excellent supplemental source to and tool to have.
E-learning also has many benefits and uses if they are utilized properly. E-learning is a lot cheaper for students. I do not need to drive into SNHU every day for class. I work from home and this saves me money. E-learning also has the benefit of being more slow paced when students struggle but can be more challenging if a student is succeeding and wants more difficulty. Another aspect of E-learning that is great is that you create your own schedule. It is possible to be a full time student and have two jobs. E-learning also provides a more individualized approach to learning, students progress at their own pace.
Open course software is an incredible gift to the academic community. The website from Yale offers an amazing deal. Yale always a University for the most elite and powerful of society now offers its courses for free. Although no course recognition is given the possibility to earn a Yale quality education exist, for anyone anywhere in the world. Yale's Website states, "
Open Yale Courses provides free and open access to a
selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and
scholars at Yale University. The aim of the project is to expand access
to educational materials for all who wish to learn." (Yale, 2013)
Fortenbury, J. Digital Textbooks: Are they a Solution or Distraction. March 2012, Retrieved from http://www.schools.com/articles/digital-textbooks-solution-or-distraction.html
Yale. Yale Open Courses, 2013. Retrieved from http://oyc.yale.edu/.