BEIRUT: This school year, some primary school students found that their backpacks became lighter, thanks to the introduction of e-textbooks in the classrooms of the EDUVATION school network. The network, which functions under the authority of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut, includes the schools Ecole des Trois Docteurs, Beirut Annunciation Orthodox College and Saint Mary’s Orthodox College.
Known as the eB?k book series, the new set of e-textbooks were developed by educators within the school system, and published by the publishing house Byrtus. The series was introduced in grades 1-3 at the start of the 2014 school year.
With content adapted to the Lebanese curriculum, the e-textbooks are the first of their kind to contain a complete series of Lebanese social studies and Arabic language studies.
“This is something new. Producing digital books in Arabic is unique,” said Nayla Khoury Daoun, executive director of the digital curriculum development department of EDUVATION network schools.
Daoun emphasized that the content and visuals of the e-textbooks reflect Lebanese societal values and that of the school network curriculum. Such tailoring of curriculum content allows students to see themselves and their world in the texts they learn from.
“What is specific to these books is that all the illustrations and video and artwork were all made by our team, so they reflect the culture of the country and the values we would like to convey,” she said.
In the classrooms, each student has an iPad, on which he or she can view the day’s lessons. Beyond the introduction of local values, the books also feature far more interactive features than traditional textbooks.
In addition to Arabic and Social Studies, the books cover English, French, Mathematics and Science.
Stories and characters within the e-textbooks stress the value of openness around emotions, even difficult ones like grief and separation, with the goal of encouraging students to express themselves.
“We always try to convey the idea, especially with value and cultures, that there might be more than one answer to each situation. We always leave it open for each learner,” Daoun said.
She added that another feature of the books is that they “encourage critical thinking so learners predict answers and develop problem solving skills,” noting that several hands-on activities have been built into the lesson plans.
While the structure of the e-textbooks resembles traditional textbooks, interactive features such as multiplication flash cards and videos are interwoven throughout,to keep students engaged and enable learning through multiple approaches.
EDUVATION teachers and graphic design staff contributed to the development of content over the course of three years. In developing the curriculum, staff created a cast of characters, present throughout the e-textbook content, who help drive the lessons forward.
Art coordinator Nancy Salamouny helped develop these characters to reflect the local culture and to spark dialogue on lessons on personal traits such as self-esteem, courage, and how to deal with grief and common issues of family life.
“The characters help drive values and keep the learner along with the story,” said Salamouny, who added that the characters’ personalities are developed and well-rounded so they contribute their own viewpoints. Some even encourage behaviors such as healthy eating or recycling.
Characters resemble students and wear uniforms and have names like Tatiana, Michael, Ahmed and Yara.
The textbook graphics are “engaging and familiar to students,” Salamouny said, adding that the illustrations reflect Lebanon’s rural and urban life with recognizable village scenes and cityscapes present throughout.
The variety of Lebanese family life situations is also reflected within the characters; working mothers and homemakers are represented, as are fathers working abroad.
Nisrine Najem, head of the Social Studies department at Beirut Annunciation Orthodox College, was one of the teachers that helped author the textbooks.
She said she has noticed a great improvement in her students through the new lessons. The new technology is easy to use and the interactivity of the lessons has kept students active and engaged.
“It helps them to understand the material in a more smooth way,” Najem said.
Using the iPad, teachers can mirror or project lesson activities onto the board in class. Students are able to do the same, making it easier to share work and collaborate in class.
Najem said the e-textbooks have greatly expanded the variety of activities used to teach lessons and can accommodate students of different learning styles.
“There are many activities in the books and the iPad allows teachers to vary the technique,” she said. Built into the curriculum are additions to lessons, such as videos and puzzles. Before, with a traditional textbook, the teacher would have to build and bring from home a similar interactive learning tool.
Given the success to date of the e-textbook, the EDUVATION network now has plans to expand its use beyond primary grade levels.
“We are continuing to produce [the e-textbooks] for higher classes and will introduce them starting next September,” Daoun said.
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