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LIBROS DE TEXTO EN LINEA. En general, los libros electrónicos promueven la lectura, tienen un menor impacto medioambiental, ocupan poco espacio, son más rápidos y baratos de producir, se editan con gran rapidez y pueden actualizarse cómodamente corrigiendo errores y añadiendo información. Y en particular para los estudiantes, facilitan los procesos de investigación gracias a su gran navegabilidad. Escuchemos qué se comenta en el artículo de hoy.
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This is the VOA Special English Education
Report. |
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Electronic books have changed the way many
people read for pleasure. Now online textbooks are changing the way some
students learn and some teachers teach. |
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the way: la forma en que; for pleasure: por placer; |
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More than 175,000
students attend the public schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, outside
Washington. Last year, the school system used digital books in fifteen schools.
This school year, middle schools and high schools changed from printed to
electronic textbooks in their social studies classes. |
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attend: asisten a; county: condado; used: empleó, utilizó; school year: año lectivo; middle school: escuela secundaria (que incluye de quinto a octavo grado); high school: preparatoria (México); colegio de bachillerato (Colombia); enseñanza media (España y Chile); escuela superior (Puerto Rico); printed: impresos; social studies classes: cursos de ciencias sociales; |
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Luke Rosa is a history teacher at Falls
Church High School. His students work on school laptop computers. He explains
the idea to them this way. |
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work on: trabajan en (preposición ON para computadoras e Internet); school laptop computers: computadores portátiles escolares; this way: de esta forma; |
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LUKE ROSA: "I mean, it's just like a regular
textbook, except it's got it all online." |
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it's just like: es lo mismo que; regular: estándar; it's got it all: lo tiene todo; |
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Peter Noonan, an assistant superintendent of
schools, says with electronic textbooks, publishers can quickly update the
content with the latest information. |
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superintendent: director general; publishers: los editores; quickly update: actualizar velozmente; content: contenido; the latest: la más reciente; |
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PETER NOONAN: "The world's changing
consistently. And the online textbooks can change right along with the events
that are happening." |
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consistently: regularmente; right along: a la par; events: hechos; |
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Digital books also cost less than printed
textbooks, he says. |
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less than: menos que; printed textbooks: libros de texto impresos; |
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PETER NOONAN: "Usually it's in the
neighborhood of between fifty and seventy dollars to buy a textbook for each
student, which adds up to roughly eight million dollars for all of our students
in Fairfax County. We actually have purchased all of the online textbooks for
our students for just under six million dollars." |
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it's in the neighborhood of between: cuesta aproximadamente entre; for each: para cada; which adds up: lo que hace un total de; roughly: aproximadamente, más o menos; actually: prácticamente, en realidad; purchased: adquirido, comprado; for just under: por algo menos de; |
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So what do students think? |
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so: entonces; |
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MELANIE REUTER: "I don't have to carry a
textbook around, so that's nice."
MARIA STEPHANY: "I don't like it because the
Internet sometimes, it's like, doesn't work."
BRIAN TRAN: "You can highlight your work. You
can leave notes on your work and it'll all be saved onto your account. It's a
lot better than a regular textbook." |
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carry around: llevar consigo; it's like doesn't work: es como que no funciona; highlight: resaltar (con color); saved: guardado (electrónicamente); onto: sobre, en; a lot better: mucho mejor; |
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Social studies teacher Michael Bambara says
the e-book he uses in his government class is better than a printed textbook. He
likes the way it has materials for students with different levels of reading
skills. |
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the way it has: la forma en que provee; reading skills: comprensión lectora; |
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MICHAEL BAMBARA: "Particularly this book,
that I use in government has differentiated reading levels, so a person can
individualize their learning and I can individualize their instruction." |
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differentiated: bien diferenciados; reading levels: niveles de lectura; individualize: personalizar; instruction: enseñanza, instrucción; |
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But the students also need access to the
Internet when they are not at school. About ten percent of students in Fairfax
County do not have a computer or online access at home. Stephen Castillo is one
of them. |
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also need access: necesitan también (contar con) acceso; ten percent: 10%; online access: acceso a Internet; |
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STEPHEN CASTILLO: "Pretty much I go to, like,
the library, I guess, or go to a friend's house." |
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pretty much: bastante (seguido); library: biblioteca; I guess: me parece; |
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Public libraries in the county have free
Internet. There are also after-school computer labs as well as computer
clubhouses supported by the county. Middle school student Slieman Hakim is happy
about that. He says his family has to share a single computer at home. |
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after-school: extraescolares; computer labs: salas de informática; as well as: así como también; clubhouses: sedes de clubes; supported by: mantenidos por; has to share: tiene que compartir; a single computer: una única computadora; |
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SLIEMAN HAKIM: "All of my family works on a
computer, my sister and me both do our homework on it. So I come here to do my
homework. It's good." |
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all of my family: toda mi familia; both: ambos, los dos; |
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Other school systems in the area are also
considering online textbooks. In Prince George's County, Maryland, a survey
showed that sixty percent of students have computer access at home. Curriculum
Director Gladys Whitehead says an e-book test project is being planned. |
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considering: analizando (utilizar); survey: encuesta; showed: arrojó, demostró; project: proyecto; is being planned: se está planificando; |
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GLADYS WHITEHEAD: "Next year we'll just have
a Pilot with probably one classroom and one subject area, so that we can see,
you know, what issues will come up with complete online access." |
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PILOT = Programmed Inquiry Learning Or Teaching: Encuesta Programada de Aprendizaje o Enseñanza; subject area: campo temático; so that: de forma tal que; issues: problemas; will come up: surgirán; |
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And that's the VOA Special English Education
Report. I'm Christopher Cruise. |
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