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Governor Schwarzenegger highlighting the first-in-the-nation Digital Textbooks Initiative at Calabasas High School.
Photo by Peter Grigsby, Office of the Governor

By Terilyn Finders

Aching backs, broken budgets, and our vulnerable environment may feel some relief from an unusual pilot program beginning this fall in California.

Thanks to support from Governor Schwarzenegger and legislative and educational visionaries, electronic versions of tried-and-true math and science text books will be tested in middle and high school pilot programs beginning with the new school year. California is the first state in the nation to pilot such an ambitious program.

"The time to act is now," said Governor Schwarzenegger, at a press conference held in June at Calabasas High School, one of the schools set to pilot the e-textbook project for our state. "This is the information age. It stands to reason that our students' textbooks should be as current as Google and other internet sources." At the conference the Governor announced the first-in-the-nation Digital Textbook Initiative. The first phase of the initiative will bring high school math and science classes access to free digital textbooks by fall 2009 - with additional content to follow.

In the 2008-09 school year, California spent approximately $218 million on K-12 text books, with the estimated cost per book ranging from $45 up to $100. In addition to keeping content current, digital versions are expected to be less costly.

According to Dr. Donald Zimring, Superintendent of the Las Virgenes Unified School District, where Calabasas High School is located, the district allocates about $2 million a year on text books. E-versions could cut this number in half.

"The savings could be tremendous," said Dr. Zimring, "and these savings can be reallocated to help keep quality teachers in our classrooms and support programs that are threatened or have been cut."

Despite the desperate condition of the state budget, Dr. Zimring and other public education champions see the dollar savings as secondary benefit to providing instructional materials that are timely, engaging and can be differentiated to meet each student's unique learning needs. "E-textbooks will allow teachers to download versions that are right for a student's learning level," Zimring explains.

Electronic textbooks can help deliver differentiated instruction, which is key to excellent education. For example, if some members of the class are having difficulty understanding the concept of photosynthesis, the teacher can immediately download different versions designed to meet a range of reading levels.

Further, digital books can incorporate exciting video clips, links, and e-tutorial support services, to enrich the learning experience. For a generation raised on visual special effects, digital books and the added links may be just the thing to make abstract concepts real for students who are struggling. "These books will bring lessons to life," said Dr. Zimring. "Imagine seeing a geometry assignment in 3-D or a mathematics lesson applied to roller coaster designs.” 

In talking with Dr. Zimring, you know this education leader does not believe schools can pound basic skills into a student's head with boring repetition. He believes good teachers establish basic skills through a variety of methods - carefully crafting those lessons to build on existing skills and energizing learning with the new tools of technology. Digital textbooks will have a place in accomplishing this.

Dr. Zimring does not predict that electronic versions will ever fully replace books, especially for higher level analytical skills. But he sees e-textbooks as providing clear opportunities to help students learn basic skills and basic concepts, while also developing sophisticated research skills and the ability to move beyond the confines of a hard-copy book.

Greener than Print?

Are e-books “greener” than paper textbooks? At first glance, the answer seems obvious. After all, it takes 12 trees to produce a ton of printing paper, and only five percent of the paper used in the book industry is recycled, according to the Read an E-Book Week website. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development says that 71 percent of the world’s paper supply comes from natural forests, rather than tree farms.

In some cases, electronic books are downloaded, and then read using special devices known as e-readers. An e-reader allows you to store several books at once, and is portable, just like a traditional book.

The manufacture, distribution, use and disposal of e-book readers does have environmental impacts. However, according to a research report from the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan, the production of a paper book requires three times more raw materials and 78 times more water than the production of an e-book reader – and creates four times the greenhouse gas emissions.

Background

Five years ago, Senator Fran Pavely (D- Santa Monica), then a member of the Assembly, sponsored a bill which would allow school districts to utilize instructional materials funds (IMF) to purchase electronic e-book readers for students who do not have access to a computer at home. This was intended to help eliminate the possibility that e-textbooks will leave underserved communities behind, since students in these communities often do not have access to computers.

Dr. Zimring delivered the message that inspired Assembly member Pavley to write the bill. He argued that backpacks full of text books are too heavy for kids. Also,  students forget their books at school and cannot complete their homework. Books get lost, and the expense to replace them is tremendous. He recalls that the bill passed both houses, but was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.

"What a difference a bad budget makes," says Dr. Zimring, a 34-year education veteran who, over the years, has watched the state budget cycle through good and bad times.

"Perhaps good things can come from a bad budget,” he says. “California's multi-billion dollar budget crisis seems to have taken the punch out of the publishing lobby and it made our Governor a true believer that e-textbooks are the wave of the future."

As for access to computers, Dr. Zimring believes the threshold question is not about household computers, rather about schools having internet capacity. "The state must ensure that its 1,000-plus school districts have internet access for schools to deliver 21st century education."

As exciting as they may be, digital textbooks also represent change, and change can be met with resistance. The opposition comes from those concerned about access to technology in underserved communities, which Dr. Zimring predicts will be addressed through access to the internet and thoughtful legislation. Some expect negative reactions from teachers and union leadership, who might see this as "another top-down mandate forced on classroom teachers."  

However, there are already indications that many teachers in this technology-savvy state will welcome e-textbooks as much-needed tools that will open classrooms to the world.

Alongside aggressive efforts to create sustainable, healthy school facilities, these new learning tools can help our state address its triple bottom line: 21st century education, the state budget conundrum and environmental protection.

Once more, California is leading the way.

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