<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <STYLE>.hmmessage P { PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } BODY.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana } </STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.5730.11" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY class=hmmessage> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>Yeah, I got a few comments.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>1. At some point, schools will be so poor, textbooks will no longer be an issue.  They will be forced to make or use freely created texts.  I see it already.  My son's Saxon math book literally fell apart.  It is so old, I had to buy it on ebay for $14.  No kidding.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>2.  Saxon math sucks. What the hell are we doing with crappy math books.  Can we take a little from a bunch of books and make our own?  A little of Saxon, a little of Singapore, a little (well preferably a lot) of SRA Connecting Math Concepts.  Put em all together, that's what it's all about!</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>3. As with grades online, if the kid or parents don't have access, print it for the kid.  Hopefully teachers spend enough time to know each kid and family situation.  Heck, send out a survey and call the parents that don't return the survey.  At our school, they try to line up enough computer lab time but that doesn't alway work out.  Lend out computers with the book loaded or a CD.  Hey, how bout one of them OLPC XO jobs?</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>4.  Ensure, as a teacher, you have a printing and paper budget. For goodness shake! (as my Hungarian father used to say)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>5.  As with everything, never assume funding.  Make it work on a shoestring budget.  Be creative.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671150417-09062009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>-Kathy - mom of Calvin, attemptor of python programming, previous open "sores" hater, and shoe-string budgeter</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> <FONT face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> iaep-bounces@lists.sugarlabs.org [mailto:iaep-bounces@lists.sugarlabs.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Caryl Bigenho<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, June 09, 2009 9:53 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond t; IAEP SugarLabs<BR><B>Subject:</B> [IAEP] Some Comments on Digital Textbooks In California<BR></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV></DIV>Hi... <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>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...</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><BR></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">(See: </SPAN><A href="http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/fact-sheet/12455/"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/fact-sheet/12455/</SPAN></A><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">)</SPAN></P> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The Good:</SPAN></SPAN></P> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Textbooks can be up to date and, hopefully, will be.</SPAN></P> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The Bad</SPAN></SPAN></P> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Gov. Schwarzenegger suggests teachers can "print out pages for students who do not have computers."  Who pays?  </SPAN><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Probably the teachers!</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">  This really shows no commitment to supplying the schools with computers</SPAN></P> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The Ugly</SPAN></SPAN></P> <P style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">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.</SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 13px"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 13px">Hummmmm...</SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 13px">Maybe we do need Jerry Brown to run for governor.  He had a <SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">huge</SPAN></SPAN> commitment to educational technology when he was in office.</SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 13px"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 13px">Any comments?</SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 13px"><BR></SPAN></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 13px">Caryl</SPAN></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>