http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/199
This article talks about how some public schools in several states have begun to experiment with using e-textbooks rather than using printed text books.
In Texas the legislature adopted a bill that provided funds to school districts and charter schools to purchase technology that is necessary for e-textbooks.
The bill also allowed school districts to be reimbursed by the state for 50% of the savings they saved by switching from regular textbooks to e-texts. "As Texas Senator Jeff Wentworth reports in a guest column for the website My San Antonio, school districts may use the reimbursement they receive from the state to purchase educational technology, such as computers, if they choose."
The other states that have made the switch are Indiana, Michigan and California.
The article also talks about the advantages to using e-textbooks. The advantages are: hyperlinking, updating information, an enhanced learning experience and e-textbooks are budget friendly.
I kind of like the idea of e-textbooks; but, I think it may take some getting used to since I (and I'm sure many others) have been so used to text books. There are definitely many advantages to using e-texts - one being that information will never bee out dated; however, I would not be opposed to using a text book as well. Technology can definitely be a wonderful thing.
Jenny, You are doing a great job on your posts and your reflections! This article on e-text books is very interesting! I heard a speaker this last week at the conference who shared research that stated e-books are not in the best interest of the students. There are lots of pros and cons, that is for sure! Keep up the great work on your blog!
ReplyDelete