Rise of Ebooks Reflects Rise of Remote Ed
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 11/12/20
The
use of ebooks in schools has risen with the growth of remote
education. A survey found that two-thirds of teachers (67 percent)
said they're using more this year than last year, while more than
eight in 10 of administrators (85 percent) said their districts were
using digital books. In elementary grades (K-4), nearly half of
teachers (48 percent) reported that they've adopted electronic
versions of popular or educational books to supplement classroom
curriculum. In high school, the leading use of ebooks is as an
electronic replacement for class textbooks, cited by 39 percent of
teachers.
These
findings were shared by OverDrive
Education,
a division of OverDrive,
which produces a platform for managing and distributing digital books
in schools and Sora,
a reading app for students. The survey queried 300 U.S. teachers and
100 U.S. administrators online during September 2020. Almost all--98
percent of administrators and 94 percent of teachers--reported that
some portion of their students were learning remotely.
When
asked how they "felt" about the use of ebooks, a majority
of respondents in both roles said ebooks have allowed their teachers
to teach remotely. Teachers were more likely to report that students
"enjoyed" reading ebooks (27 percent compared to 38 percent
of administrators). Administrators were more likely to view ebooks as
a "great resource" for students who struggle with reading
(35 percent versus 30 percent) or for those who are learning English
(30 percent compared to 20 percent).
About
one in five respondents (20 percent of administrators and 17 percent
of teachers) also acknowledged that ebooks weren't valuable because
their students lacked the technology needed to access them. Among
teachers in rural schools, 58 percent said they didn't use any ebooks
in their classes.
"Ebooks
have allowed educators to adapt to remote learning during COVID-19
without missing a beat. Now, they are recognizing how beneficial
digital resources are for the long term," said Angela Arnold,
general manager of OverDrive Education, in a statement. "Teachers
don't have to worry about getting physical books to students. Digital
books allow students to complete classroom reading assignments or
read for pleasure, regardless of whether the district is teaching in
person or remote. This makes ebooks and audiobooks a smart investment
for the future."
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.