The Future of Education

The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology is discussing the official introduction of digital textbooks. All the eighteen textbooks for junior high school already have their digital version and sixty-six percent of one hundred six textbooks for senior high school have their digital version.

Digital textbooks contain unique features which traditional textbooks do not have. They can enlarge text and focus students’ attention; display which part of text is being read in a karaoke style; and adjust the speed of the audio. For the benefits of teachers, digital textbooks liberate them from carrying a heavy CD player; relieve them of writing long text on the blackboard; and enable them to select the part of the audio to play with ease and exactness.

Digital textbooks differ from one to another in terms of the variety of functions, settings, and options. Generally, more functions are available in junior high school textbooks than in senior high school textbooks. As tablet computers become more popular and cheaper, digital textbooks optimised for tablets may become more popular in the future.

When it comes to the actual prevalence of digital textbooks, only thirty-nine percent of schools have one. There are several factors that prevent their use in the classroom. First, necessary hardware and system is not readily available. Fifty-five percent of classrooms are without a digital display or an interactive whiteboard. Second, teachers may not know how to use them. Only one third of teachers receive training to use ICT in the classroom per year. Third, digital textbooks are not necessarily a preferred choice of parents. More than thirty percent of parents are against the use of digital textbooks at school and at home. Fourth, digital textbooks are expensive. A digital textbook for teachers would cost 80,000 yen (640 euros) and that for students would cost 2,000 yen (16 euros).

This paper presents the data on the current availability and use of digital textbooks in Japan, describes their strengths and benefits, and discusses the factors that prevent their use in the classroom.