Education under the new normal has changed the way students learn. For the longest time, textbooks have always been a non-negotiable learning material, but as the pandemic forced schools to adopt an online distance learning setup, digital books or e-books became viable alternatives.
In response to the need to make digital options available and accessible for students, Rex Education expanded its offerings of printed textbooks with e-book versions and various digital complementary learning and assessment materials.
The goal was not to replace printed books, but to create more options suitable for the changing needs and circumstances of Filipino learners. Students now are digital natives: using e-books is natural and familiar to them.
The biggest strength of e-books lies in its portability as lockdowns prevented parents from buying physical books. An unlimited number of e-books can be stored in one device and can be carried around and read whenever, wherever.
But while ebooks came with many strengths under an online learning setup, they also came with limitations and challenges, including digital fatigue and distraction, with children exposed to an unhealthy amount of screen time.
According to Rex Education, a leading provider of learning solutions in the Philippines, the recommended amount of screen time for elementary students aged 6-12 should only be up to 1.5 hours a day. For secondary school students aged 13-17, it should not be more than 2 hours per day.
The ideal screen time is easily breached as classes are held online and assignments require online research, with learning materials digital as well. The additional exposure to screen time increases students’ susceptibility to screen fatigue, which may lead to blurred vision and redness, dryness, and irritation of eyes.
People who read ebooks also tend to get sidetracked more easily. With all the links and online platforms waiting to be accessed with just a single click, students can get sucked into a digital rabbit hole of irrelevant – and sometimes dangerous – content on the web.
Printed books, on the other hand, have withstood the test of time with the more tangible experience it gives to the reader. And when it comes to retention ability and learning experience, the printed material reigns supreme.
Readers of print books were found to absorb and remember more of the material that they were reading compared to e-book readers. Printed books also give students the platform to scribble notes and highlight important information, helping them absorb and understand the subject material better.
To balance the strengths and weaknesses of both printed and digital books, Rex Education has made it its responsibility to offer as many options as it can to match the varying needs of students—both printed and digital.
“As schools implement different models of distance learning, it is important for us to be more inclusive and flexible in providing access to quality and relevant learning materials. Since schools may be serving students with different setups at home or even from different locations, providing the option of both digital and printed books makes it easier for students to choose which learning material suits their needs,” said Don Timothy Buhain, chief executive officer of Rex Education.
“Rex Education believes that quality education should be accessible to every Filipino Whole Learner—and that is what we always strive to achieve in every printed and digital book that we create,” he added.
Parents, educators, and students can now conveniently browse and shop Rex Education’s huge lineup of learning solutions in print or digital format through www.rexestore.com