By 2015, students will be carrying digital textbooks in lieu of paperback books in all schools in South Korea, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Taking advantage of cloud technology, the ministry said that it will invest KRW 2.2 trillion (US $2 billion) to convert textbooks to digital with links to various multimedia content, establish massive servers and WiFi networks in schools, and provide free tablets for students from low-income families, reportsThe Cosunilbo.
It’s likely that the government will choose tablets manufactured by South Korean electronics giantSamsung, over U.S.-based Apple’s iPad, as some schools in Korea havestarted using it alreadyfor a similar initiative.
“We don’t expect the shift to digital textbooks to be difficult as students today are very accustomed to the digital environment,” a ministry official said.
The government expects that the new educational plan will help students establish their own study patterns based on individual needs by giving them online access to their lessons and other educational resources. Students who miss classes will also be able to catch up by attending substitute online classes, which would be recognized as attendance.
Technology and the Internet hasrevolutionized educationall across the globe. While South Korea is the first to declare a country-wide plan to shift to digital textbooks, it shouldn’t come as surprise to see other countries follow suit seeing as digital content isslowly taking overtraditional media.
Korea’s next problem? ADHD.
Story byFrancis Tan
Francis Tan is the Asia editor of TNW, who is based in the Philippines. He is particularly interested in Asian Internet startups, social me(show all)Francis Tanis the Asia editor of TNW, who is based in the Philippines. He is particularly interested in Asian Internet startups, social media and e-commerce. Get in touch with him via Twitter@francistanor Emailfrancis@thenextweb.com.
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