Digital Textbooks, Online Learning Increasingly Popular

 

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With a new wave of technology in the classroom, teachers are sharpening their skills in order to stay ahead of the curve. ASU has recently created a new program in education technology that trains teachers to do just that.

"It's designed to help teachers become conversant with the technology that's available in the classroom and allow them to be more critical as consumers of educational technology," said Robert Atkinson, an associate professor of educational technology at ASU.

"We realized there was a need for teachers to learn to create and refine lesson plans around technology," Atkinson said.

Atkinson said that though online textbooks provide a new level of engagement for students with interactive quizzes and links to other sites, he doesn't think they will completely replace traditional textbooks, at least not yet.

"A lot of people embrace technology even before it's been proven effective," Atkinson said. "We have a long way to go in creating effective educational software, so the best thing to do now is to be selective."

ABCNews.com contributor Maxine Park is a member of the Arizona State University ABC News On Campus bureau.