E-library a great way to improve Thai education

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

E-library a great way to improve Thai education
By The Nation

 

It's highly feasible and probably cheaper than submarines

 

BANGKOK: -- When it comes to the quality of education, the focus is understandably on the teachers, while access to good learning materials has been largely underrated. It doesn’t hurt, however, to try to improve this aspect of education.

 

After all, we are living in a world where many things are at our fingertips. It’s no longer a dream to make a whole library available to children in the remotest parts of Thailand if they are in possession of cheap computer tablets or e-readers.

 

A past government tried to kick-start a tablet-for-students programme, which was plagued with all kinds of trouble including some graft rumours. The idea was good, but the implementation was both sloppy and dubious. Such a scheme should be reconsidered, expanded and carried out in a way that politics and business have the least to do with it.

 

The “E-library” will be the norm of the future. That doesn’t mean Thailand has to wait, though. For a country that always struggles to improve the quality of its education, the concept should be part of the solution. And the time is now. 

 

It’s a project more worthwhile than, say, buying a couple of military submarines. It is feasible and can begin quite early, too. E-readers are becoming cheaper and cheaper, so this part of state investment should not be a problem. All the government has to do is find a reasonable contract with credible manufacturers and work out how many are really needed to be given for free.

 

Content and Wi-Fi accessibility can be a little harder, with the former involving legal issues and the latter probably concerning balance sheets of private companies. But, again, any government with a true political will to upgrade education should be able to overcome potential obstacles related to copyright and Internet signals at remote schools.

 

The “E-library” has already featured as a business concept. Some customers of Amazon are being offered various kinds of accesses to “free” content that they can “borrow”. Details of the “promotions” sound like something only rich people can get their hands on, but certainly many things about Amazon’s plans can be adapted for poor Thai students.

 

E-readers can store textbooks as well, and this fact alone can immensely benefit children in remote areas who have to make difficult journeys to school day in and day out. Looking at the prices of e-readers nowadays, a state spending of Bt3 billion can make going to school more pleasant for about a million kids.

 

Some people will argue that Thai people don’t like to read and the children are no different. This assumption probably does not take into account what could have happened if a library is next door to each family. The e-reader and e-library will not place an entire library next door; they will put it “inside” the home.

 

Children will use it to play games, the same doubters may say. Cheap e-readers can restrict such activities to just board games. 

As for fears that “nonsense” reading content can make its way to children, this is wrongly assuming that the kids can only get smart by reading textbooks.

 

All in all, benefits will easily outweigh potential drawbacks. The cost alone is attractive, and there are few investments that can deliver greatest profits on the grandest scale.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/opinion/today_editorial/30316588

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-29

 

[Joebuzz]

Yeah, right.  A kid gets on the computer with a 2 minute attention span.  Sounds like nanny-state is getting even more lazy.

[Orton Rd]

e games library might work, anything to do with learning is mai sanuk with most kids

[mok199]

....call me ''old school'',but all I see is youth and the phones ...children must develope human contact skills and that means teachers and parent interaction...PERIOD...NO MORE <deleted>'' DEVICES,GADGETS,LIBRARY'S ETC, FOR THE KIDS...PERIOD.this is just youth trying to educate youth...we need youths who can think for themselves and understand ,devices can lead to isolation and an addiction to more devices...they have a huge place in our lives already.(and that ok)..take control,and know, balance is paramount in life...

[Lunchbob]

Already thousands and thousands of books absolutely free on the Internet. Gutenberg, Archive.org, and so on....

[mok199]

5 minutes ago, Lunchbob said:

Already thousands and thousands of books absolutely free on the Internet. Gutenberg, Archive.org, and so on....

with all due respect..those same internet books are available on ebay in paper back or hardcover in English ,nothing like the feel of a real book ...we order several books a year for our boy, including duty about 20 us a book ,all hardcover,so he learns to respect them and can pass them onto his boy someday..and yes my boy loves the phone as much as most..but its the ''balance''between a screen and a real book..cheers.

[ramrod711]

I love books, real books, but my Kindle is too good not to use. I usually have 100 or so books on it at any given time. I think it's a great idea, to encourage a kid to read is to expand their horizons and their opportunities.

[mok199]

8 minutes ago, ramrod711 said:

I love books, real books, but my Kindle is too good not to use. I usually have 100 or so books on it at any given time. I think it's a great idea, to encourage a kid to read is to expand their horizons and their opportunities.

so true no matter the medium books or the device..reading is the key...I was never and still not a reader but I always wanted to be..i don't know if its patience ,or keeping still and quite for more than a minute,lord knows I tried,but it was never my thing..but I do want my boy to be a reader.we read to him everynight and now he brings me the book we wishes to hear(he is 3) so its peter pan or tinkerbell..the boy who never grewup..ha..READ ON !!!

[akirasan]

Thai kids typically don't like to read.  At least not where my wife teaches.  I'd love to fix up their library as there is barely any books in there.  But that was the response I got.

[tominbkk]

They should use a kindle like device, that is not a tablet, but is only used for reading.  Ebooks with e-ink don't distract you with email, web stuff, games.  It's all book, and since there is no backlighting, you can read for hours just a like a regular book without eye strain.

[mamypoko]

I'm still hooked into an e-library in the States. I love it. Nothing like an audiobook while working out.

If possible check with your local library back 'home' and see if you have access.

FYI, this is the one I use:

https://ncdl.overdrive.com

and

https://www.hoopladigital.com/my/hoopla

 

Seems like a good idea anywhere 

[tominbkk]

34 minutes ago, akirasan said:

Thai kids typically don't like to read.  At least not where my wife teaches.  I'd love to fix up their library as there is barely any books in there.  But that was the response I got.

That's too bad.  At the intl school I administrated we constantly promote reading for pleasure.  We have a DEAR (drop everything and read) session 20 minutes a day, where everyone in the school stops what they are doing and reads for pleasure.  A huge amount of kids carry this into their lives at home.  The trick is to have something they are interested in reading - and for that you need a good librarian and a healthy budget for getting fiction books for all tastes and reading levels.  Not cheap, but definitely worth it.  Don't see that happening here though, reading for most is done out of necessity, not pleasure.

[Bluespunk]

Hmm...

 

Edited May 29, 2017 by Bluespunk

[Langsuan Man]

Anyone remember the fiasco of the one computer per child initiative 

 

Let's try old school paper books first, if we can get them to read those, then the authorities can think about e-books 

 

[mikebell]

1 hour ago, ramrod711 said:

I love books, real books, but my Kindle is too good not to use. I usually have 100 or so books on it at any given time. I think it's a great idea, to encourage a kid to read is to expand their horizons and their opportunities.

I agree whole-heartedly. I have 3 e-books on sale at Amazon, two of which are Thai based.  I am looking to translate & publish them in Thai.  Short stories are ideal for short attention span.

[mok199]

our reading habits as adults should not be compared to reading habits of our young children,we as adults know books, and now know ,e books,so its a fair thing to say we can make our choices,but it is important for our youth to know hardcover books,and not another deivce...and then when they hopefully learn to love reading ,make the choice...I predict books will make a comeback like the vinyl lp's (like the original ''dark side of the moon'' we gave away in the 80's as the cd came out))...

[ben2talk]

3 hours ago, Joebuzz said:

Yeah, right.  A kid gets on the computer with a 2 minute attention span.  Sounds like nanny-state is getting even more lazy.

I find that a blend works best. I can't really separate - I use my computer to drive the HDTV - so any video or TV being played is controlled by the keyboard...

 

What we're talking about here, I'd assume, is a limited device capable of displaying e-books and hopefully NOT capable of much more than that...

 

3 hours ago, mok199 said:

....call me ''old school'',but all I see is youth and the phones ...children must develope human contact skills and that means teachers and parent interaction...PERIOD...NO MORE '' DEVICES,GADGETS,LIBRARY'S ETC, FOR THE KIDS...PERIOD.this is just youth trying to educate youth...we need youths who can think for themselves and understand ,devices can lead to isolation and an addiction to more devices...they have a huge place in our lives already.(and that ok)..take control,and know, balance is paramount in life...

Right - strange attitude. Sometimes I like to take a book into a corner and block out human contact and enjoy the book. My bad!

 

My son likes to watch Nina and the Neurons. We use the keyboard so he can pause it and explain to me in his own words what's going on... He also likes to read books (paper books are good, but expensive) and we have a few on the computer - he can read them via the tablet - I enjoy my bedtime stories.

[soalbundy]

Teach them to read first..... Oh and ban all divisive literature, don't want them reading 1984.

[ben2talk]

Just now, soalbundy said:

Teach them to read first..... Oh and ban all divisive literature, don't want them reading 1984.

Interesting point - let's guess at the kind of content will be available to Thai children in e-book form? If it's a reflection of the books on shelves in Thai shops, then it's not much better than the trash they get fed through TV... and it doesn't take too many visits to the bookshops to see why they're not too popular.

[mtls2005]

But, but...

 

 

[TEFLKrabi]

Any initiative to get kids reading is a good one for me. But it's not just a Thai problem. It's a worldwide one. Let's not just criticise the Thai people here. 

[ben2talk]

58 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

But, but...

 

 

ROFL - and you win today's prize. Awesome connection.

[ben2talk]

13 minutes ago, TEFLKrabi said:

Any initiative to get kids reading is a good one for me. But it's not just a Thai problem. It's a worldwide one. Let's not just criticise the Thai people here. 

I don't live in England, but I'd assume the rhetoric there would be to 'limit' tablet and screen time and to 'encourage parental involvement' and to 'use' tablets as a tool. Warnings 'Limit exposure to screens' not 'get them away from screens'.

 

My criticism is in the bluntness and lack of reasoning in the statements.

"tablet=bad, e-book=good, screen=bad, TV-sanook let's watch a soap instead"

 

Kids and Tablets is a bad combination. Kid+Daddy+Tablet works rather better in my experience. Technology is a super tool for super teaching (a good tool for self education if used well).

 

[akirasan]

5 hours ago, tominbkk said:

That's too bad.  At the intl school I administrated we constantly promote reading for pleasure.  We have a DEAR (drop everything and read) session 20 minutes a day, where everyone in the school stops what they are doing and reads for pleasure.  A huge amount of kids carry this into their lives at home.  The trick is to have something they are interested in reading - and for that you need a good librarian and a healthy budget for getting fiction books for all tastes and reading levels.  Not cheap, but definitely worth it.  Don't see that happening here though, reading for most is done out of necessity, not pleasure.

That's a really good idea.  I'll float it with the director as we go out for a drink pretty regularly and he seems open minded.  

You're right about the budget too, they just don't have the money.  I considered trying a gofundme or some kind of fund raising because my wife said it would only cost around 60,000 to get new books.  

The kids seem to enjoy reading comics, I'm sure we could find some graphic novels or a mixture books they want to read and books they have to read.  

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. 

[peterpaintpot]

When the tablet scheme was introduced with the target eventually of one tablet per child, I thought that the then government was out of its little mind. They might as well have given the families cash. I saw no chance of the tablets improving education .

 

At the time, haven't just purchased a Kindle e-reader, I thought that not only would the e-reader be more effective for education but the cost of providing books to students could be reduced.

 

Advantages of e-reader for students:

1) Less chance of it being stolen as " Thai children do not read books",

2) Less chance of it being sold by the family,

3) Each child could have up to date text books every year ( when I was a kid in the 50's some of our school text books were 20+ years old ), each year the school could ensure that they had the correct books for the new academic year.

4) The student would always have the correct text books for the day's lessons as they all would be on the e-reader,

5) Each student could have a selection of suitable books for their age and sex to stimulate their reading.

 

The challenges are that the Education Authorities have to organise the scheme professionally and carefully to protect the students and to ensure that the e-readers cannot be used for anything else.

 

Data input must be controlled, preferably by an independent remote site. The user must not be allowed to enter any other data.

 

Purchase of e-readers, software and data must be carried out in an ethical manor to ensure savings for schools.

 

Yes, I do understand this is Thailand, not Utopia.

[Thongkorn]

Maybe if they could read it would help, becasue most cannot.

[peterpaintpot]

Thongkom - you need literature to learn to read and you need the desire to learn something.

 

My son was born in 1969 and he, as was his sister, had bedtime stories every night, lots of books of his own and was taught to respect books and value them. Despite his parents being avid readers he was a late starter. What turned him on was the advent of collector cards featuring all types of cars, that was when he realised that reading could be enjoyable - he never looked back.

 

All my grandchildren have been introduced to books at an early age and they love them, their schools provide books for them to read in their own time, their parents have to sign a form every evening to certify which pages the child has read to them. When the child has read all the books at that level they get harder books to read. It is very competitive and most of the kids want to do better than their friends.

 

I suspect that Thai parents do little to encourage their children to learn to read whereas Western parents are much more aware of the importance of learning to read well. I should mention that I, my children and grandchildren spent their youth in the English education system.

[tominbkk]

21 hours ago, akirasan said:

That's a really good idea.  I'll float it with the director as we go out for a drink pretty regularly and he seems open minded.  

You're right about the budget too, they just don't have the money.  I considered trying a gofundme or some kind of fund raising because my wife said it would only cost around 60,000 to get new books.  

The kids seem to enjoy reading comics, I'm sure we could find some graphic novels or a mixture books they want to read and books they have to read.  

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. 

If you are getting locally printed books you can get quite a lot for 60K.  Wait for the book fairs at Siriket and elsewhere, you can get a ton of stuff for really cheap.

 

We find things at the fairs, but a fair amount is ordered from the States because it's just not available elsewhere.  I would say on average over the last 10 years the budget for our libraries has been about 400,000 each per year.  That's really just the fiction and non fiction for our students to check out.  But if you were getting Thai books like I said you could get a lot for 60,000.

 

DEAR is great - do your best to have all adults doing the same the kids do.  I had to train teachers to DEAR as well and not spend the time grading :)  As principal I would choose different classrooms from Grades 1-12 to show up at with my kindle for my 20 minutes.  Was fun!  Can't tell you how many parents commented on their children coming home and getting into their book right away.

[soalbundy]

On 5/29/2017 at 3:22 PM, peterpaintpot said:

Thongkom - you need literature to learn to read and you need the desire to learn something.

 

My son was born in 1969 and he, as was his sister, had bedtime stories every night, lots of books of his own and was taught to respect books and value them. Despite his parents being avid readers he was a late starter. What turned him on was the advent of collector cards featuring all types of cars, that was when he realised that reading could be enjoyable - he never looked back.

 

All my grandchildren have been introduced to books at an early age and they love them, their schools provide books for them to read in their own time, their parents have to sign a form every evening to certify which pages the child has read to them. When the child has read all the books at that level they get harder books to read. It is very competitive and most of the kids want to do better than their friends.

 

I suspect that Thai parents do little to encourage their children to learn to read whereas Western parents are much more aware of the importance of learning to read well. I should mention that I, my children and grandchildren spent their youth in the English education system.

Yes, i agree with you there, i can still remember, as flash backs, my mother teaching me to read when i was 4. Here in Thailand i taught myself to read Thai and read all the Harry Potter books in Thai, many years ago my step daughter,then 14, observing me reading Thai whispered to her mother why i punished myself by reading, it turned out that even at that age she couldn't read properly and i as an Englishman set myself the task of teaching her to read her own language, she is now studying at a university for technology.