D IGITAL T EXTBOOKS & T HEIR I MPACT ON S CHOOLS Katie Kalajian EDU 290

W HAT ARE D IGITAL T EXTBOOKS ? Digital Textbooks are books that are now available in a digital format as opposed to an actual textbook These digital textbooks have become more popular because they cost less and are available to more people

B ACKGROUND I NFORMATION Digital Textbooks are also being used in the classroom because a teacher can download the textbooks and project them on a screen in order to interact with the students in regards to the textbook materials The information in digital textbooks are more up-to-date Author : History at the Higher Education AcademyHistory at the Higher Education Academy

W HY SHOULD WE GO D IGITAL ? Legislation was necessary because during this economic crisis, it is vital that schools try their best to lower prices Digital textbooks benefit students, teachers, and schools in general

D IGITAL TEXTBOOKS MUST BE : 1. Affordable- they should cost less than traditional textbooks 2. Printable- teachers should be able to print excerpts of a digital textbook at an affordable price 3. Accessible- “students should be able to access digital textbooks online, store them for use offline, and keep a copy for future use” (Allen, 2008)

I MPACT ON E DUCATION Author : Extra KetchupExtra Ketchup o Students are more interested in technology, therefore they may be more engaged in digital textbooks o For college students, they save a lot of money by not needing to buy textbooks o Digital textbooks will be updated with the latest information in order to keep students up-to-date

C ALIFORNIA S CHOOLS In May of 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched the Digital Textbook Initiative which meant providing schools with ten free digital textbooks for the high school level. (Gov. Schwarzenegger, 2009) Governor Schwarzenegger argues that the state could save $400 million if the high school students just use digital math and science textbooks. (Surdin, 2009)

Congress has recently passed legislation that requires publishers to give prices of textbooks to teachers when sold. Also, publishers may no longer sell books and supplemental materials together since it costs more. (Surdin, 2009) L EGISLATIVE I SSUES

The use of digital textbooks would require: 1) Money 2) Teach training 3) Bandwidth 4) Computers (Surdin, 2009) Some school districts complain that digital textbooks haven’t met educational standards. Other school districts are worried about digital textbooks costing more than originally planned. (Chung, 2009) Not every student has access to a computer which widens the digital divide. (Lewin, 2009) Since these are open source materials not everyone trusts them to be accurate C RITICISM ABOUT D IGITAL T EXTBOOKS

Students no longer need to spend money on textbooks As long as students have a computer in front of them, they can access materials needed for their classes Students are kept up-to- date with the latest news It may cost more money to buy computers and bandwidth than schools save by not buying textbooks Not all students have computers to access the textbooks Not all teachers are ready to deal with the changes in technology Pros of Digital TextbooksCons of Digital Textbooks C ONCLUSION

R EFERENCES Allen, Nicole. (2008). "Course Correction: How Digital Textbooks Are Off Track, and How to Set Them Straight." Retrieved October 22, 2009, from. Chung, Lina. (August 17, 2009). "Digital Textbooks offer a Long-term Solution." The Daily Bruin. Retrieved October 22, 2009 from < textbooks-offer-long-term-solutionem/>. Extra Ketchup. (June 25, 2007). Flickr. Digital image. Web. Retrieved October 28, 2009 from. "Gov. Schwarzenegger Releases Free Digital Textbook Initiative Phase 1 Report." (August 11, 2009). Office of the Governor. Retrieved October 19, 2009 from < release/12996/>. History at the Higher Education Academy. (April 23, 2009). Textbooks in the Digital Age. Photograph. Flickr. Retrieved October 26, 2009 from. Lewin, Tamar. (August 8, 2009). In a Digital Future, Textbooks are History. The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2009 from. Surdin, Ashley. (October 19, 2009). "In some classrooms, books are a thing of the past." The Washington Post. Retrieved October 19, 2009 from < dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR html>.