If you thought digitisation of course material or even courses was really hep, you just have to wait to see how the Tamil Nadu Government is planning to bring out its new State Board school syllabus textbooks for the new academic year.
If you thought digitisation of course material or even courses was really hep, you just have to wait to see how the Tamil Nadu Government is planning to bring out its new State Board school syllabus textbooks for the new academic year.
e-books and e-course material are passé. Instead of taking the textbook to the digital format, the digital format is being integrated in the pages of the textbooks. Yes, the new textbooks that contain revamped syllabus are going to sport a smart look with digital integration.
To enable children go beyond the knowledge contained in the pages of the book, the textbook will have digital links with a QR (Quick Response) code. The QR code will have digital material related to a particular concept, which could be in the form of a customised content, a tutorial or a video lecture, an illustration, etc.
For example, in a biology textbook, in a lesson explaining the germination of a seed, there will be a QR code printed at the end of the chapter. Scanning this code using a smart phone will lead the student to an audio visual content of the germination of a seed, which will enable him or her to see and learn it practically.
This initiative is expected to be a value addition to overcome the limitation that children do not get practical knowledge of the concepts. This ensures that the “outdoors” is brought into the child’s scope with just a smart phone. This provides wider access to the student to explore the concept rather than stop with the explanation and examples given in the book.
The printing for the first batch of textbooks for some classes is under way by the Tamil Nadu Text Books and Educational Services Corporation and is expected to be made available to all classes over the next two years.
A method of doing away with rote learning, normally associated with State Board syllabus, the integration of technology is seen as a way of helping students see the application as they learn the theory.
This is a take-off from the initiative introduced by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to give access to technology to lakhs of students who have not enjoyed it so far. This had been made possible there with technical support from the Central Square Foundation and Nandan Nilekani’s EkStep Foundation.
But whether students from the Government, Corporation and Panchayat Board schools will be able to adapt to this kind of books is not easy to say. The role of the teachers in these cases will have a significant part.
The size and look of the books have also been redesigned to accommodate colourful and large size pictures and illustrations.
School Education Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan asserts that the revamped curriculum and syllabus, presented in this innovative manner, was devised keeping in mind the future of students for the next decade.
