[IAEP] Some Comments on Digital Textbooks In California

[Caryl Bigenho]

Hi...
Adam Holt alerted me to Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal to go digital with textbooks statewide in California high schools, starting with math and science this year.  Here is my retired teacher's view of the situation...



(See: http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/fact-sheet/12455/)


The Good:


Textbooks can be up to date and, hopefully, will be.




The Bad


Gov. Schwarzenegger suggests teachers can "print out pages for students who do not have computers."  Who pays?  Probably the teachers!  This really shows no commitment to supplying the schools with computers




The Ugly


Textbook publishing is a big, competitive business.  Lots of profits are to be made in publishing textbooks.  What incentive will there be to publish free online books? You can bet they will not be free for long.
Hummmmm...Maybe we do need Jerry Brown to run for governor.  He had a huge commitment to educational technology when he was in office.
Any comments?
Caryl
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