01-09-2016, 09:46 AM
Study on Service Models of Digital Textbooks in Cloud
Computing Environment for SMART Education
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We live in a knowledge-based information society where a new technology emerges
overnight and new information is produced every day. Our current shift towards a more
digital world has led to an inevitable increase in the use of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) in education. With the development of innovative
technology, educational content, methods of teaching and learning, educational
environments, and the roles of teachers and schools can be changed. However, despite
numerous efforts to improve educational standards, school systems around the world are
struggling to meet the demands of the 21st century learners and employers. Climate
change has also affected education. Therefore, the need for learning – and the way people
learn – is changing faster than before. The paradigm shift to a world of the 21st century
learning is rooted in a set of goals for all learners. SMART education is a creativityfocused,
customized system for developing new ways to learn by using up-to-date
technology like cloud computing, and enables students to study with various materials
based on their aptitudes and intellectual levels using mobile Digital Textbook at anytime,
anywhere and on any devices. This paper examines various ways of content development
for digital textbook, service provision, and service delivery, and suggests the most
suitable model in a cloud computing environment in order to propose a suitable service
model for Digital Textbook in the cloud computing environment.
Key Words: SMART education, Smart learning, Digital Textbook, Cloud computing,
Service model, N-Screen
1. Introduction
The emergence of Digital Natives has led to changes in communication methods, forms
of knowledge, and the ways in which collective intelligence is cultivated for social
productivity. These radical changes in the environment are demanding reform in
education. Similar to the way in which modern schooling systems had replaced agrarian
education, to meet societal demands for a skilled labor force, our knowledge-based
society also calls for changes in the education system. In short, there is a need for a
radical paradigm shift from the present industrial approach to education to one that
supports the rising knowledge-based information society [1].
With the growing demands of society and the increasing uses of technology in our
daily lives, new generations of the 21st century will require an education system that
attends to both needs. One strategy, that can lead this reform is SMART education.
SMART education can be defined as an educational system that allows students to learn
by using up-to-date technology and it enables students to study with various materials
based on their aptitudes and intellectual levels. The difference between the current
education system and SMART education is similar to the difference between regular cell
phones and smart phones; while regular phones have programs and systems supplied by
manufacturers, smart phones can be customized to meet the users’ needs. Current educational approaches are based on a teacher-centered model where information and
knowledge flow in one direction from teachers to students. This one direction approach
is unsatisfactory to both students performing at the top and bottom of the class
The problem emerged when it came to educational competency. Korea’s ranked 29th
in education competitiveness globally, according to a survey facilitated by the
International Institute for Management Development (IMD). However, according
to statistics by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Korean
students are performing at the highest level of achievement. As an alternative to
replace the current educational system in an industrial society, proposing SMART
education is a global trend and policy. In Finland, a customized education system has
already been built and has provided students with an up-to-date educational environment
using ICT in education. Recently, South Korea ranked first among 19 countries in the
2009 Digital Reading Assessment for students’ problem solving capacity using the
Internet, this data was also included in PISA. It was an outstanding achievement
considering that the students were high-school students preoccupied with college
preparation. It proved that advanced ICT development in Korea, can contribute to
reducing the information gap, rather than widening education inequality. Therefore, it is
the opportune time to shift toward Smart education in order to prepare for our children's
future.
To attain the vision of SMART education, the Korean government has initiated five
flagship projects. These five projects are 1)Digital Textbook development and
application; 2) promoting online classes and assessments; 3)creating an environment to
use educational content safely; 4)building teacher’s competency; and 5)establishing a
cloud-based education system. Through the implementation of these five main projects,
diverse types of educational content will allow students to learn whenever and wherever
they please. As students will have access to these resources through all smart devices—
PCs, laptops, smart tabs, tablet PCs, and smart TVs, they can learn at their own
convenience.
2. Backgrounds
2.1. The Definition of SMART Education
SMART Education stands for “Self-directed, Motivated, Adapted, Resource enriched,
Technology-embedded”. First, “Self-directed” characterizes the change in students roles
as recipients to producers of knowledge and the shift of teachers from deliverers of
knowledge to learning assistants(mentors). To achieve this, online assessments, academic
performance evaluations, and a self-directed learning system will also be implemented.
Second, “Motivated” highlights the way in which SMART education will encourage
students to take interest in learning. SMART Education emphasizes teaching and learning
methods that promotes creative problem-solving and process -centered individualized
assessment. Students' learning experiences will be transformed from the typical textbookbased
to experience-based. Third, “Adapted” stands for the pursing of education through a
customized educational system and a customized teaching and learning system. SMART
Education strengthens the flexibility of the educational system and facilitates customized
learning in connection with personal interests and future career aspirations. It also helps
schools evolve from a place of delivering knowledge to a place that supports personalized
learning according to students’ levels and aptitudes. Fourth, “Resource enriched”
describes the support for rich teaching-learning materials. From a cloud learning service,
SMART Education provides free access to rich contents developed by public and private
institutions and individuals in education, expands the joint use of domestic and overseas
learning resources, and promotes collaborative learning through the contents delivery platforms. Fifth, “Technology-embedded” illustrates the use of the latest information and
communications technology. SMART Education enables students to learn at anytime and
anywhere through information technology. By building an educational environment that
encourages student-centered learning, students are provided with diverse methods of
learning tailored to self-selected areas of interest