Author(s): |
Tadmor-Shimony, Tali |
Source: |
Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, v49 n2 p236-252 2013 |
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Pub Date: |
2013-00-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Educational Policy; Jews; Foreign Countries; Hidden Curriculum; Textbooks; Educational History; Mathematics; Nationalism; Judaism; Ideology; Teaching Methods; Geography
Abstract:
This paper discusses the attempts of Israeli education, in a similar fashion to other national educational systems, to shape a territorial identity for the pupils of the new State. The Israeli school used a variety of educational means to shape a person who would be modelled on his new birthplace's landscape, including the use of textbooks, illustrations, and maps, to aid in the process of creating a desired image of the homeland's landscape. The hidden curriculum used textbooks employing mathematics questions to learn details about the geographical expanse. Alongside the use of a written curriculum, Israeli education made use of the extra curriculum by becoming physically familiar with a place and creating a local time based on the seasons of the year. Local nature was studied during "moledet" (homeland) lessons, similar to the Weimar Republic of Germany's Heimatkunde studies, as well as during other subjects, such as nature studies and Bible. These studies integrated national goals and progressive humanistic educational schools of thought which viewed a child's encounter with nature as a vital part of his or her education. The readers, which were built on a timeline of the seasons and the school celebrating nature festivals, created a natural time frame for the pupils in which they acted and studied. The discussion about the ways territorial identity was structured by the Israeli education system is another chapter in the wider debate about national education and illustrates the schools' function as one of the State's national social agents, particularly in its early years. (Contains 1 figure and 79 footnotes.)
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Pub Date: |
2013-02-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
College Students; Scientific Concepts; Visual Aids; Evolution; Thinking Skills; Inferences; Pattern Recognition; Relationship; Genetics; Classification; Prior Learning; Sciences; Textbooks; Scientific Literacy
Abstract:
Tree thinking involves using cladograms, hierarchical diagrams depicting the evolutionary history of a set of taxa, to reason about evolutionary relationships and support inferences. Tree thinking is indispensable in modern science. College students' tree-thinking skills were investigated using tree (much more common in professional biology) and ladder (somewhat more common in textbooks) cladogram formats. Students' responses to questions assessing five tree-thinking skills provided evidence for several perceptual and conceptual factors that impact reasoning (e.g., the Gestalt principles of good continuation and spatial proximity, prior knowledge). Instructional implications of the results include using the tree format for initial instruction and clarifying that most recent common ancestry determines evolutionary relatedness. Broader implications for designing scientific diagrams and promoting diagrammatic literacy are considered. (Contains 7 figures, 4 tables, and 6 notes.)
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Pub Date: |
2013-01-27 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive |
Peer Reviewed: |
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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Homework; Video Technology; Computer Software; Textbooks; Electronic Publishing; Electronic Learning; Courseware; Individualized Instruction; College Faculty; Surveys; Publishing Industry; Online Courses
Abstract:
Textbook publishers argue that their newest digital products should not even be called "textbooks." They are really software programs built to deliver a mix of text, videos, and homework assignments. But delivering them is just the beginning. No old-school textbook was able to be customized for each student in the classroom. The books never graded the homework. And while they contain sample exam questions, they could not administer the test themselves. One publisher calls its products "personalized learning experiences," another "courseware," and one insists on using its own brand name, "MindTap." For now, this new product could be called "the object formerly known as the textbook." Major publishers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years buying up software companies and building new digital divisions, betting that the future will bring an expanded role for publishers in higher education. So far publishers produce only a limited number of titles in these born-digital formats, and the number of professors assigning them is relatively small. Only about 2 percent of textbooks sold at college bookstores are fully digital titles, according to a survey of 940 bookstores run by Follett Higher Education Group. But if these new kinds of textbooks catch on, they raise questions about how much control publishers have over curriculum and the teaching process, as online education expands.
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Pub Date: |
2013-01-27 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive |
Peer Reviewed: |
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Descriptors:
College Students; Student Costs; Textbooks; Electronic Publishing; State Legislation; State Aid
Abstract:
Providing college students with free textbooks is no easy task. That seems to be the major lesson from several efforts to produce e-books that are low-cost or free to help reduce students' costs. Money pressures, slow adoption by professors, and quality concerns stand in the way as these projects hope to rival traditional publishing. Take Flat World Knowledge Inc., an upstart publisher that had been a key proponent of a so-called "freemium" model of giving away electronic copies of textbooks and asking students to pay for extras like flash cards or printed copies. The company announced a sudden move away from that model in November, stating that its free-content option will no longer be available starting in January. The reason for the change: Students were not buying as many printed copies as predicted because those who wanted one got a used copy rather than buy a new one from Flat World. Flat World will still offer textbooks at lower prices than traditional publishers do, but nothing will be free. The company's basic online books cost about $20 each. Flat World Knowledge is also pursuing a sponsored-licensing model with some colleges, where an outside company or foundation would enter into an agreement with Flat World Knowledge or the college to help pay for the cost of content. The e-book company will be able to judge the impact of its "free to fair" pricing transition by next year. Some see Flat World Knowledge's move away from the freemium model as a warning for other open-access textbook projects. Finding ways to support the production of free textbooks is not the only unresolved issue for open-textbook proponents. Another challenge is getting buy-in from instructors, who must be persuaded to adopt the textbooks. And when books are written by volunteers, keeping quality high can be more difficult than in the traditional model, where authors are paid by publishers. Producing free textbooks may sound like a good idea, but it is turning out to be easier said than done.
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Author(s): |
Sloan, Roberta H. |
Source: |
Journal of Educational Technology Systems, v41 n1 p87-104 2012-2013 |
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Pub Date: |
2013-00-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Handheld Devices; Electronic Publishing; Educational Technology; Computer Science Education; Information Systems; Usability; Use Studies; Comparative Analysis; Pretests Posttests; Student Attitudes; Pilot Projects; Feedback (Response); Textbooks; Computer Uses in Education; Technology Integration; College Instruction; Student Surveys; Online Surveys; Statistical Analysis; Questionnaires; Educational Policy; School Policy
Abstract:
An eTextbook and iPad were used in a pilot program, and the impact on the course was assessed to guide the development of a college policy. Students in the course completed three questionnaires to provide feedback about their perceptions of the eTextbook and iPad. During the pilot program, students' perceptions of the usefulness, ease of use, and extent to which they enjoyed using the eTextbook increased. Students reported that the eTextbook made it easier for them to learn, and they preferred the eTextbook to a printed textbook. Students were neutral about the iPad's usefulness, but found it easy and enjoyable to use. Based on the students' feedback, it is recommended that an interactive eTextbook be used; that a course be redesigned to take advantage of eReader technology, especially if a tablet computer (iPad) is used; and that students be allowed to choose between an eTextbook and a printed textbook. (Contains 11 tables.)
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Author(s): |
Foulds, Kim |
Source: |
International Journal of Educational Development, v33 n2 p165-174 Mar 2013 |
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Pub Date: |
2013-03-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Cultural Pluralism; Foreign Countries; Textbooks; Gender Differences; Role; Nationalism; Interviews; Elementary School Students; Student Attitudes; Sex Role; Females; Sexual Identity
Abstract:
The roles of textbooks in postcolonial states is increasingly complicated, even more so when engaging a gendered analysis. This is in large part due the pressure national education ministries face considering the demands of the international aid community, particularly since implementation of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, nation-building, and cultural diversity. Using Kenya as a site of analysis, this article uses interviews conducted with Kenyan primary school students to determine how their perceptions of their textbooks relates to their lived realities. Focusing on images depicting labor in and out of the home, research shows that students' perceptions of textbooks demonstrate that there exists a continuum of gender identities, particularly visible when images of transformative gendered roles for women that are incongruent with student realities. (Contains 5 tables and 4 images.)
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