e-textbooks :)

SCHOOLBAGS bulging with text books will soon be a thing of the past, as laptops, smartphones and iPads are increasingly used in classrooms.

James Cathro, who is managing director of Campion, Australia's largest supplier of school textbooks, stationery and educational software, says classrooms are yet to feel the full impact of new technologies - but it is already profound.

"It (e-textbooks) won't happen in the short term, but it is only a matter of time before it is commonplace in every school," he said.

"While the e-book revolution is only at the early stage in schools, laptop and now iPad usage by students is high and continues to grow, so it is a logical step that the demand for e-textbooks will increase."

Most schools in South Australia now have classroom sets of laptops with more and more also providing ultra-portable tablets and installing interactive whiteboards.

This is forcing schools to ensure their students are "multiliterate" - have ability to understand and communicate in a multimedia world.

Flinders University School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics Associate Professor Paul Calder said new technology was making a significant impact of education.

"We're seeing a significant increase in the number of electronic devices that students bring with them to class. Most have a laptop, but it also includes portable devices like iPads or tablet devices and a mobile phone," he said.

"How effectively they use them is a work in progress and all educators are developing what works best."

Professor Calder said there was no doubt these devices were here to stay in the classroom.

"The device is just so useful for access to information, it's not just static, it's interactive, which works so well in the educational sense," he said.

"They will become an integral part of all classrooms, especially as the costs come down.

"Tablets can be used again and again and materials can be updated easily."

Aberfoyle Hub R-7 Year 1 and 2 teacher David Sickerdick said he had used e-books since the school had installed electronic white boards.

"It's certainly more difficult to maintain their (students') attention because they are bombarded with multimedia devices at home... so classrooms have to run with the pack," he said.

"It's highly motivational for them because it's big and bright.

"In all areas of our curriculum we use them (e-books) as another tool to focus on teaching them to be multiliterate."

Staff at Thebarton Senior College are using iPads to investigate best practices in senior school curriculum and plan to roll out class sets once the research is complete.

Student Hadi Bahrami said he found electronic resources were much easier to read and manage.

"It is easier to find the information you need and so much easier to carry around than lots of books," he said.