Free digital textbooks hit California Schools. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans for digital math and science for the 2009-2010 school year. Faced with budget woes, it is not surprising that the Gov. opted for the change. Schwarzenegger sees the plan as way to encourage collaboration among school districts. Plans call for compiling a list of digital textbooks aligned to state standards. A few questions come to mind: Will digital textbooks improve student learning? Are teachers ready for the change? Will digital textbooks be more up-to-date than regular ones? How soon can we expect most textbooks to be digitalized? To find out more about digital textbooks, read this article in Curriculum Matters, California Going Digital with Math, Science Textbooks. What do you see as the pros and cons of textbook moving to the digital format?
Saturday, May 30, 2009
No More Paper Textbooks
Free digital textbooks hit California Schools. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans for digital math and science for the 2009-2010 school year. Faced with budget woes, it is not surprising that the Gov. opted for the change. Schwarzenegger sees the plan as way to encourage collaboration among school districts. Plans call for compiling a list of digital textbooks aligned to state standards. A few questions come to mind: Will digital textbooks improve student learning? Are teachers ready for the change? Will digital textbooks be more up-to-date than regular ones? How soon can we expect most textbooks to be digitalized? To find out more about digital textbooks, read this article in Curriculum Matters, California Going Digital with Math, Science Textbooks. What do you see as the pros and cons of textbook moving to the digital format?
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14 comments:
I think using digital textbooks would save paper and can't be destroyed or lost. Textbooks waste a lot of words. Reading this proposal leads me directly to thinking about using PowerPoint presentations that extrapolate the key points and present them in a way that is memorable and "sticks". The students could, and probably should, help develop material based on questions that they have about the material that is being presented.
Some textbooks should be available for reference and for learners who prefer to read from a book. The textbooks would also be helpful to the teacher as she creates all those fun PowerPoint presentations.
It is exciting to be on the cutting edge of technology in the classroom.
I think that having digital textbooks would be a benefit for students. I think that it would be easier to updates textbooks and not have to wait and buy a new set of textbooks every year. As Social Studies teacher it would be helpful to have textbooks that are updated to include current events. I also feel like it would be cheaper for people or school districts to purchase. If college textbooks were made digital then, I feel like it would be cheaper for college students to purchase. Textbooks are a major expense for both schools and students, I think making the textbooks digital it would make easier for the students to have new textbooks. A downside would be that if a school doesn't have the resources to provide computers for their students it would be difficult to use the digital textbooks in the classroom.
As much as I like the idea of digital textbooks,I keep thinking about students who do not have access to a computer at home. What happens if a student have to do homework and he/she does not have a personal computer? I am wondering if each school is going to give each student a laptop or make sure there are enough computers in each classroom. From experience I have yet to see a classroom with enough computers for each student. I am not sure if saving money should be the main focus over meeting the needs of each student. This idea seems like it would work if the teacher is equipped with a Smartboard or PowerPoint where the whole class can follow along. However, I am wondering how would students with learning disabilities cope in a classroom with digital textbooks. What about lower level readers? How would they keep up? I would think that students would need to take a class to improve their computers skills because not all students are proficient in their computer skills.
It's a neat idea. And if text books didn't suck so much--I'd be more resistant to the idea. It would certainly make keeping track of inventory easier. But I suspect that the textbook companies will still make their money as you would still have to issue textbooks to students without access to computers. I'd like to see how this one would pan out.
Wow! Am I the only one who disagrees with this idea. I am from the age when teachers lectured and students took notes. I found that system to work well. Moreover, I am concerned that the "written" word is disappearing. Many newspapers are now faced with the prospect of discontinuing the printed newspaper in favor of "on-line" newspapers.
I find it very frustrating to sit in front of a computer all day. People are spending already too much time in front of the computer thus losing their communication skills. Now Gov. S wants to add this aspect. I can only hope that this does not become the way of the future.
I think that digital textbooks are a great idea. I believe that students would be more interested and eager to learn using them. I believe that it would be easier to update digital textbooks. Most students enjoy using computers.I think that students would complete more of their assignments if they had digital textbooks. When I read this article several questions came to mind. How can school's afford digital textbooks? Can students take these books home? What if something happens to a students digital textbook?
I happen to love the smell of books. And the feel. I love holding a book in my arms while gulping up the words. However, I am not a fan of textbooks at all...they become dated quickly, are lost, stolen, and vandalized, and I see the reason for Arnold's decision. I agree with Claudine, in that I also don't feel that 'saving money' will better the students learning experience, but, digital textbooks allow for plenty of freedom. But like others mentioned, how will we guarantee that students will have access to a computer at home?
As a math teacher who finds many benefits to incorporating technology into the classroom, I am not thrilled by the proposal for digital math and science textbooks. The idea that digital textbooks can be more frequently changed or keep more current is not necessarily for the betterment of learning the content. I find that the newer versions of math textbooks tend to “dumb down” the content and favor more meaningless photos and other fillers.
Additionally, I am concerned that this change is proposed without first conducting research on its effectiveness for students and the equity issues surrounding whether low SES and minority background students will have equal access to using these digital textbooks. Key questions, such as the one asked in the Education Week article, “what impact will this have on the quality of math and science lessons across the state?” should first be addressed prior to using the Californian students as guinea pigs in their educational systems’ hasty experiment.
I have not had a chance to finish reading this article but will over the week and post at a later point.
While I agree with Michle S's comment about how this would save paper and Crystal's comment about how students may be more interested in digitally provided textbooks, I cannot help but wonder if certain types of students will be left behind by this proposal. I am the type of "student" who needs a hard copy of a paper to mark up and highlight to stress the important points. I like writing in my books when a teacher comments on the text. Would these textbooks allow for such marking up of digital textbooks? Also, many students have digital issues at home, computer at home is broken (or they might not even have one), siblings had to use it and did not leave them time to do their homework, etc. It does not seem reasonable to expect a student will have unlimited access to a computer to be able to do their homework when they are free to do it (not a problem with paper textbooks). While providing digital textbooks as an option to students is a great idea, I believe mandating it for all students is not a good idea.
I am torn on this issue. On one hand I thnk that integrating digital textbooks in the classroom would be more eco- friendly, especially since every so many years new textbooks are purchased. This would cut back on the amount of paper used in this country. However, in contrast, I think there is something to be said for having a physical book in front of you to read. It seems like a more personal experience. I know nothing was mentioned in the article about this, but reading textbooks online puts a great deal of strain on the human eye. Therefore,the question that comes to mind is, "What would the long term effects be on the eyes from reading so much information online?" While the answer is unknown at the moment, it should be a concern that is addressed. Of course I have not discounted the fact that providing textbooks online would be cost effective. Districts that struggle with supplying enough textbooks for students could invest in computers instead and many students would then have access to the same textbooks online. I think with how quickly our society is progessing with technology that this new implementation will soon be spreading across districts countrywide. Having textbooks online also may peak students' interest to read, which is priceless. It should be interesting to see what happens with this issue in the years to come.
Kate -
I had not thought about eye strain as a consideration in this argument. I know just from everyday use, my eyesight has degraded (per my eye doctor). Mandating students use their computers for textbook reading would just add to the strain already put on the eyes on a daily basis. Good point.
I have a Kindle and I love it. I use it all of the time. I shared it with my students in class and they were all completely captivated. I love the fact that it can store over 1,500 books. Digital text books could save me so much room. As it is I have shelves and shelves of leveled guided reading books. I could save so much storage space if I had a class set of digital books for my students. Another reason why I love my Kindle so much is that the Kindle could read to me and I can change the font size. This would be great for differentiation.
I believe that digital textbooks would be benefical to students. Today's textbooks are large and heavy within the math and science fields. By allowing the use of digital textbooks the students do not have to drag these books back and forth with them to school, where they may or may not use them in a given day. I know with the science text books, most are written on a college level and can be hard for high school stuents to understand, so instead the teachers use the book as a supplement to the information being taught.The digital textbooks would be very benefical within the math and science course offered in high schools.
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