Tablets seen to replace textbooks in SKorea by 2015

By 2015, primary school pupils in South Korea may be ditching the traditional textbooks for tablet computers. The move also aims to create massive market for home-grown electronics, according to an article from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “By 2014, all of South Korea’s elementary-level educational materials will be digitized, and by 2015, the entire school-age curriculum will be delivered on an array of computers, smart phones and tablets. While the country’s education ministry is yet to announce the make or model of the devices it will purchase, it has revealed it will spend $2.4 billion buying the requisite tablets and digitizing material for them," MIT Technology Review’s Christopher Mims said in a blog post. In his post, Mims said that some schools in South Korea are already using textbooks displayed on notebook computers. He added that the government is more likely to choose gadgets made by South Korean electronics giant Samsung, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab or a larger variant. “Whatever happens, this is potentially a huge windfall for Samsung. Students and governments are the ultimate captive audience. As long as their hardware and software continue to improve, they might not have to compete with Apple; this is a whole other niche," he said. On the other hand, Mims said the move also re-ignites the classic debate about whether or not students learn better from screens or printed material. Also, he said there may be debates on whether devices with smaller form factors are as effective as slightly bigger textbooks. Mims also warned of the issues involved in attempting to cram a textbook onto a smaller screen. He said this was a major reason why past trials with replacing textbooks with e-readers such as the Kindle DX were “abject failures." — TJD, GMA News