Abstract:

Textbooks have solitarily been used as a means to support and enhance teaching at all levels of schooling for many years. Although the contents are presented coherently and sequentially, the problems discussed in the classroom through textbooks often alone do not help students visualize and actively gaze on their interests. However, since the dawn of an experiential era, the definition and the role of a textbook have evolved substantially and over more than three decades now, many educators and technologists have argued for the transformative power of technology in dramatically improving or completely changing the experience of learning. At the same time, it is undeniable that new technologies (such as smartphones, digital cameras, personal computers, scanners, and projectors, in conjunction with easy-to-use software) have brought about significant changes and made it much easier to achieve many of the long-held pedagogical ideas such as active knowledge-making, personalized learning, and ubiquitous learning. As a result, it has been observed that students are nowadays more frequently engaged in the usage of these new technologies thus has the potential to transform the teaching-learning environment (Castro Sánchez and Alemán 2011).

But how can we better understand and harness pedagogical possibilities opened up by new digital technologies to equip young people with competencies to engage creatively and responsibly with the rapidly changing world? Moreover, how can we use technologies to make school education not only more inclusive and of higher quality but also a key enabler for sustainable development? remains less explored.

In response, Global Literature Review Report by UNESCO MGIEP examined different digital educational media (resources) and analyzed different Government-level (regional; national/federal; municipal) initiatives (including plans/announcements of intentions) or private-sector and civil-society initiatives (e.g. publishing houses, NGOs, research institutes) on digital textbooks/classrooms (e.g. interactive whiteboards, digital platforms) encompassing all the UNESCO regions. This paper summarizes the key findings that emerged through the literature review, with an overview of different adaption and dissemination initiatives that were taken up to embrace digital technology in education. Specifically, it reviews different case studies and country overview that have touched upon the merits of the integration in schools, barriers or challenges encountered, factors influencing successful integration, in-service and pre-service teachers’ attitudes, perceptions, and confidence in using such technology with the content in focus. It offers multi-stakeholder recommendations and different policy implications designed to provide insights that would help lead to the wise, innovative and ethical use of digital technology in education aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Keywords:

Digital Textbook, Digital Educational Media, Digital Platforms, Interactive Whiteboards, Digital Technology, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).