Skip to main content

eTextbooks in Trinidad and Tobago

Image
By
What is an etextbook? An etextbook is a textbook in digital format. You will use a laptop or tablet or other device to download and read your etextbook. There are several advantages of etextbooks. These include lower cost, environmentally friendly, easier to carry many books, easy to search, text to audio, easy to update and can be interactive.

When are we going to see etextbooks in Trinidad and Tobago? I contacted TTUTA and asked, "Do you think that etextbooks should be used in Trinidad and Tobago? And why?" and have not received a response as yet. I contacted the Ministry of Education's Textbook Unit and asked, "Does the ministry have plans to introduce etextbooks in the education system?" and have not received a response as yet. I did a search of the MOE website and came across this recent RFI (due date Jan 15 2021) which states

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is seeking to introduce e-textbooks into the education system and recognises the significant role of Publishers/Authors in providing educational resources for students. In this regard, the MOE requests information on the availability of e-textbooks that are aligned to the primary and secondary schools’ curricula, which cater for all students, inclusive of those with special educational needs.

Following the RFI, the MOE will issue a request for submissions for evaluation and recommendation. A listing of specific subject areas and relevant levels will also be provided.

What are some of the challenges? Why are we so late to this? I think that publishers are afraid that change may affect their profitability. Once digital the book may be easy to copy and use without paying. I remember doing an interview with Datalore Inc about their CSERS (Caribbean Shared Educational Resources Service) project when Barbados was looking to introduce etextbooks back in 2016. One of the questions was, "What is in place to ensure that persons don't copy the books without paying for them?" And the answer was, "Our platform is a digital rights managed platform (encrypted) which prevents students from copying the files."

Then there are a chunk of students that don't have devices. I am thinking that etextbooks can be launched in parallel and on a phased basis until all students are equiped. I am looking forward to progress being made and etextbooks becoming the norm.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Below the surface

By
This is a chapter from my eleventh book called Quotation Marks Sparks . __________ "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." - Jon Kabat-Zinn __________ I was looking at quotes that hit hard and this quote stood out to me. It seems mundane and obvious and often repeated. Life is about how we respond to the inevitable. It is not what happens to us but how we respond. I had to ask myself to dig deeper and look below the surface. Then I saw that when we surf we really become the waves. We become friends with the waves. The waves and us are the same. Further, the waves are created by us and in our heads. We can control the waves because who can surf all the time? Sometimes we just have to come to shore and build sand castles on shore. I asked my friend Gemini for feedback and he said that I was right, the Jon Kabat-Zinn quote initially seems like a simple call for resilience, but my deeper dive reveals profound layers. The idea that we can move beyond merely rea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thankful

By
It is 617pm and I have decided to write. Right now I am thankful. The cool of the evening has replaced the heat of the day. I took a bath and changed and now I am just relaxing. Sometimes I complain. Not often. But I feel bad afterwards because there is so much to be thankful for. There is always room for improvement and we have to identify the things for improvement and change is often good but we do not have to make it into complaints. Yeah I get it. Life is hard and none of us has it easy. Look on the bright side of things. And sometimes it is the little things that remind us that life is good. Things that we take for granted. Like I was coming in the maxi taxi today and heard a gospel song that was about gratitude. God does appreciate a grateful heart. Trinidad and Tobago celebrated sixty four years of independence yesterday and if we stop and listen to the many complaints we would swear we are living in the worst country in the world. That is not the case. We do get a lot of thing...
Post a Comment
Read more

Having a soft spirit

By
It is 137am. It started raining. I decided to write. I have heard about having a soft heart but what does it mean to have a soft spirit? And is having a soft heart related to having a soft spirit? My friend Chatty says that a soft heart feels deeply — it breaks, heals, and loves with tenderness — while a soft spirit moves gently through life, unresisting and at peace with what comes. The two are kin: a soft heart opens you to emotion, and a soft spirit teaches you to carry that emotion with grace. Together they make a person both tender and strong — able to feel the rain and still trust its rhythm. I like the quote, "a soft spirit in a hard world" by author and poet, butterflies rising. It resonates with how many of us feel. My friend Chatty tells me that that quote captures the quiet strength of staying gentle in a harsh world. It reflects the author's signature themes of vulnerability, tenderness, and emotional courage — the idea that softness is not weakness but a form...
Post a Comment
Read more