ELECTRONIC MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS: OLD WINE IN NEW SKINS?

Mathematics textbooks play different roles in different countries. In some countries they are essential to the quality of instruction and in others they are viewed as not being necessary for experienced teachers. Moreover, the media used to create mathematical texts has advanced from clay tablets to digital ink but this change in the way texts are packaged is not always paralleled in the content of the text. What are some of the educational design features that could help to align the medium of presentation with the content of electronic mathematics textbooks? When it comes to the current generation of digital mathematics textbooks it is true as Shakespeare noted: “All that glisters is not gold”. Many digital mathematics textbooks are simple adaptations of paper texts with the quality of the digital text dependent upon the printed text. Yet digital texts can provide different affordances and constraints to learning mathematics. WHAT IS THE INTENDED USE OF MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS?