Monday, September 14, 2009

The Rise of Digital Textbooks

Is your school district ready for digital textbooks as part of 21st century learning? eSchool News looked at school districts who shared their motivations for a digital textbook program.

Since many textbook companies already provide electronic content along with supplemental and remediation content California is compiling a list of free, open digital textbooks that meet state-approved standards and will be available to high school math and science classes this fall. Just having computers in the classrooms isn’t enough; it’s how those computers are being utilized to enhance the learning for all students, empowering them with new skills.

The cost of purchasing textbooks has continued to rise and because the world is growing and changing as such a rapid pace many textbooks have outdated information by the time schools received them, not to mention the weight of some textbooks. Digital textbooks would cost less and could be easily updated through a single download of new information to the computers. Just as the world around our students is continually growing and changing so should the information digital textbooks would provide to the students. Schools wouldn’t have to wait till the next textbook adoption to provide current, real-world information to all students.

Marion County Public Schools in Florida decided to use digital textbooks as part of a three-year technology plan to provide wireless network access to all secondary schools. The school district also felt that digital texts will help keep the information current. As the world and information changes the digital textbooks could be updated quickly by downloading new information.

To read the entire article please go to eSchool News at:http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=59876

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