A new
report on the use of digital devices and content in education predicts a big
jump over the next five years, but doesn’t see print materials going away any
time soon.
The report,
Digital Education Publishing Market in the U.S. 2017-2021, anticipates growth
of 10.68% in the U.S. across all academic sectors, including K-12, higher
education, and corporate learning. All are largely fueled by the proliferation of
mobile devices.
“Notebooks
and desktops are being substituted by mobile devices like e-readers,
smartphones, and tablets as the medium of digitized knowledge delivery in the
academic sector,” according to the report’s executive summary. “They make information
accessible anywhere and anytime, making the learning process more flexible,
which is one of the reasons for their growing popularity.”
The report stressed
that print textbooks are likely to continue for the foreseeable future despite
the growth of digital content. Among the reasons, it said, is that print causes
less eyestrain and readers are able to focus on a printed page better than a
screen. The report also noted that the U.S. Department of Health has issued
recommendations to limit the amount of time children spend utilizing electronic
screens.
