California To Move To Online Textbooks

I have written several times about the need to switch from printed books to electronic publishing, often referred to as "e-books." Many people, myself included, believe the future of printed books is doomed as the cost of paper, inventory storage, shipping expenses, and the associated labor costs continue to escalate. Contrast that with the ever-decreasing costs of electronic publishing and online storage, ease of distribution via high-speed "always on" networks, improving video displays, and reduced labor requirements, and the future soon becomes obvious: electronic publishing makes economic sense.

Now one more person has gone on record as favoring electronic publishing: California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Last year, California spent $350 million on textbooks; so, facing a state budget shortfall of $24.3 billion, Governor Schwarzenegger has unveiled a plan to save money by phasing out "antiquated, heavy, expensive textbooks" in favor of Internet aids. His proposal is to switch all math and science textbooks to online versions for the coming school year and then to switch other courses to electronic texts in future years. He says converting to online study will also help keep pupils more up-to-date.

On Monday, Governor Schwarzenegger signed an executive order to scrap funding on contracts from 1 March and bar state agencies from entering into new ones.

The e-books to be used must first pass an academic standards review. In other words, the e-content must be at least as good as the printed textbooks that have been used in the recent past. The only difference will be the distribution method: replacing paper with electronic text of the same or similar information.

Schwarzenegger believes that there are two major benefits. The first is the most obvious: a financial savings of hundreds of millions of dollars. However, the second benefit is a bit more subtle: encouraging youngsters to use computers and online tools will better prepare them for the future job market, where computer expertise is being required in more and more non-computer jobs. Internet activities such as Facebook, Twitter, and downloading to iPods show that young people are already the first to adopt new online technologies. Schwarzenegger believes that using Internet tools is the best way to learn in classrooms.

"It's nonsensical — and expensive — to look to traditional hard-bound books when information today is so readily available in electronic form," writes Schwarzenegger. "As the music and newspaper industries will attest, those who adapt quickly to changing consumer and business demands will thrive in our increasingly digital society and worldwide economy. Digital textbooks can help us achieve those goals and ensure that California's students continue to thrive in the global marketplace."

While California is a leader in the move to electronic publishing of all sorts of books, I have to wonder how long expensive printed books will be available to genealogists. It strikes me that e-publishing is much more cost-effective. Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently agrees.

You can read more about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's plans at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8090450.stm and you can also watch a brief video of the governor's remarks at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8090861.stm.

Comments

[Randy]

Something will be gained but much will be lost. I remember many things but it's sometime hard to remember whether I saw a fact in a book or online. The web has a pretty good index though not always as good as a well-indexed book.
Textbooks have become too heavy and too expensive-not the fault of the student, however.

[Sharon]

My thought is - what about the kids who don't have a computer at home? Will they be able to complete assignments before leaving school? What about latch key kids - mine had to do their homework and show it to me when I arrived home from work. Will kids have more time out of school to get into mischief? Just my two cents.

[Betsy]

In response to the previous comment: where is it written that all homework must be textbook-based? Or that homework is even essential to all learning?

I salute creative problem-solving, and if digital "textbooks" are the way to go, so be it. Personally, I think that the whole textbook concept is 20th century.

[Teri Whitmore]

As to the kids who do not have a computer at home: they all will have access to computers in the classrooms, in the school's library, and in the public libraries. Free use of computers is available to everyone in the U.S. today. Besides, making them spend more time in a library isn't a bad thing!

[Oxa]

Save money? How much will it cost to purchase laptops for all the students in California, repair them, and upgrade them regularly? This is just the fad of the week in the field of American education, which is well known for its great ideas.

[Linda]

To the previous comment about indexing, web books are just books in digital form. I believe they do have the table of contents, indexes, and glossaries like printed text books. In addition, you can use a computer's search capabilities to search for specific text phrases and highlighting text.

[Dick Eastman]

---> How much will it cost to purchase laptops for all the students in California, repair them, and upgrade them regularly?

Zero. There is no proposal to purchase any laptops.

[Kristy Gravlin]

A third gain would be the loss of weight in those backpacks. Picking up granddaughter's bag is a major effort! It's silly to carry them back and forth daily.

If there are kids who really would be "penalized" by having poor access to a computer, schools could furnish a few books for rent, etc. (They could be asked to purchase their own...but that would require money which is almost surely not available in the homes without computers.)

And I have to agree that there is too much homework for the sake of "having an assignment to hand out" especially in younger grades. -All- children should have some play/social time in their lives too.

[Linda]

I don't see how students can be expected to learn using downloadable textbooks if they don't have a laptop for use in the classroom and at home. You can't expect all the kids to go to the library to read their assignments and not have any access to the textbook during the lecture. So, do California schools have a laptop program like some school districts in other states?

I think homework is important if meaningful assignments are given either for reinforcement of what is learned or assignments that help with criticial thinking and research skills. It is also a way for the parent to have involvement in what the child is learning at school.

[Suzanne]

California has traditionally been on the "cutting edge" of education. Having grown up in the California education system I can attest to the fact that California is always willing to try something new. It is no surprise to me that they are making such a switch. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. If it turns out well, you can bet that other states will start adopting the same model.

[Kathleen from California]

Laptops are being stolen all the time; I have yet to hear about a textbbok being stolen. Would kids have to replace a stolen one on their dime? If not, they could get an endless supply of laptops to give away or sell. Might start a whole new underground business! :)

[Janet Martin]

Math and science textbooks are the targets here--rarely used during lectures in school. I remember sitting and taking notes during class time, and most math explication was "board" work. My grandsons in grade school have already been logging into online math texts for a couple of years. Many schools have open networks, and those new netbooks bring the cost of a personal laptop down to very affordable levels--probably even less for school quantity purchases.

[Oxa]

Duh, if no one is going to finance the cost of laptops, then how are low-income students going to be able to access the digital textbooks???