Nov

2

Three California-Adopted Digital Textbooks and What They Tell Us About the Disruption

November 2, 2009 |  Tagged | Leave a Comment

CLRN is fortunate to be located at the Stanislaus County Office of Education, which also houses a Learning Resource Display Center (LRDC). Ours is one of 30 LRDCs in California where local educators can peruse adopted textbooks before making purchases.  So, when my curiosity led me to investigate the current state of digital textbooks created by commercial publishers, these resources were available just steps away from our project.

As I shared in my last post, the 2007 mathematics adoption in California approved no less than 15 digital-only series by nine publishers. Some series were single products, like Algebra I by Kinetic Books. Others, like California eBook Student Edition, by Harcourt, consisted of six books for grades one to six. Still, given that these books must have been submitted a year earlier, these products represent a snapshot into a 2005 or 2006 paradigm of what a digital textbook should include. When you consider that these books will remain frozen for at least another five years, educators might feel like Rip Van Winkle when they see the next generation of textbooks.

Below are brief descriptions of three adopted digital textbooks.

SRA Real Math eTextbook Grade 5
Publisher: McGraw-Hill

SRA Real Math eTextbook, which comes on a CD, replicates a printed textbook onscreen with user features to select pages or parts of a page. Students can not interact with the problems shown on the pages.  While the actual textbook is not interactive, this resource does include several eMathTools , interactive exercises for learning math skills. This program runs from the CD.

Algebra I
Publisher: Kinetic Books

After you install this program on your computer, this DRM-enabled textbook must be authenticated to the publisher’s server. Three licenses are available: an individual license that is good for a single computer; A Class Set License that is good for 330 days after which the program may not be installed again on the same computer; And a Computer Lab License that is good for up to 35 on-site computers. See my previous posts for my feelings about DRM-enabled resources.

Unlike a computer representation of a traditional textbook, Algebra I delivers information in bite-sized chunks, provides oral narration of each new skill, and reinforces each skill with practice exercises that are completed online. Students know immediately if their answer is correct and the program guides students to review again if insufficient correct answers are given. Some components require an Internet connection.

California eBook Student Edition
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

At first glance, this online resource also replicates a printed book and might initially be mistaken for a PDF. However, the publisher has added several interactive components: 1) All text on each page may be narrated, and you can select specific text to be spoken; 2) Mathematics vocabulary words are highlighted. When clicked, a new window appears with a definition and an example; 3) Each page has an iTools icon which loads interactive applications; 4) While the actual problems on each page are fixed and not interactive (not good), a Lesson Intervention icon appears at each Guided Practice section to provide narrated help and reteaching of a math concept (very e-learning like); and 5) Each Independent Practice section is accompanied by a Mega Math application for practicing the concept before completing the assignment. However, guided practice and independent practice problems are designed to be completed on paper.

Summary
It’s been two years since mathematics books were adopted in California. While the content in these books remains valid (long division probably won’t be changing anytime soon), their digital representations are already several generations behind the curve and in many ways are archaic. It’s nobody’s fault, though, but a result of sustaining innovations that continue to improve digital products and make them more attractive and responsive to consumers.  The 2005 model of simply replicating the printed page on a computer screen with little interactivity could be compared to an early 1MP digital camera; an interesting, but unsophisticated product that is not ready for traditional consumers. With continued sustaining innovations, these resources will mature and blossom. Resources being created by major publishers today are more evolved and are demonstrating Christensen’s description of a disruptive innovation. With time, they’ll become more intricate and innovative.   As Pearson Education’s Peter Cohen said, “The future of learning is going to be high-quality online material and, to a lesser extent, textbooks.”

Oct

29

Digital Textbooks: Is it a Revolution if Everyone is on the Same Side?

October 29, 2009 |  Tagged , | Leave a Comment

After I wrote about Oregon’s adoption of an online, interactive textbook, Nancy Silva correctly reminded me that California has also opened the door to electronic textbooks. In 2007, California’s State Board of Education adopted no less than 15 digital-only textbook series for mathematics from nine publishers. While the great majority are CD or DVD-based, several are online-only. I’ve begun to plow through these and will report back in the next post. First, though, two quotes from industry leaders that tell me the revolution will end before most people know it’s begun.

Peter Cohen, US CEO of Pearson Education recently said, “We are now in a transformational period. Everything we have has to be of two worlds: print and digital. The future of learning is going to be high-quality online material and, to a lesser extent, textbooks.’’ Houghton Mifflin’s senior vice president, Wendy Colby commented, “The textbook is no longer the center of the educational universe.”

It’s evident that major textbook publishers understand the dynamics of the disruptive innovation that is taking place in their industry. Far from avoiding or denying it, publishers are embracing the opportunity to transform linear, paper-bound content into online, interactive experiences.  As with prior disruptions, it may be years before we see a perfect product. A variety of sustaining innovations will be necessary for a great product to emerge and be embraced by educators. Still, the journey is well underway as evidenced by the products adopted by California and Oregon.

Oct

28

Digital Textbooks: Oregon Adopts an Electronic Textbook

October 28, 2009 |  Tagged | 3 Comments

While many states talk about digital textbooks and some even pass legislation enabling their use, Oregon has taken a giant leap by adopting an electronic textbook for K-8 science.

Discovery Education Science – Elementary and Middle School Solutions were adopted by the Oregon State Board of Education at their October 23, 2009 meeting.  Oregon, which has a seven-year adoption cycle, has approved these electronic, subscription-based textbooks from 2010 until 2016.

According to Discovery’s web site,  Discovery Education Science has up-to-date, standards-based virtual labs, simulations, reading passages and more, coupled with a real-time assessment component that measures student’s progress. In other words, Discovery has disassembled the linear textbook and has created an interactive resource that teaches science by having students do science.

Discovery intends to submit this resource for CLRN review, and we’re looking forward to exploring it.

Oct

15

Digital Textbooks: Students Strike Back

October 15, 2009 |  Tagged | Leave a Comment

Two separate digital textbook articles today create some doubt about student’s perceptions and use of digital textbooks and eReaders.  While it’s too soon to determine whether the problem lies in the difficulty of changing paradigms or the quality of eReaders, we still have a long road to travel before paper disappears.

The first article comes from the Teaching and Developing Online blog  which posted survey results from students at Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School. The four question survey, responded to by ninety students, reaffirms that many students are not quite ready to give up paper. Still, I can not attest to the survey’s background, the age of the students, or whether these students have been using digital textbooks.

Asked whether schools should keep hardbound textbooks, 66% said yes, while 56% responded in question two that they like the idea of a digital textbook. 53% felt that digital textbooks would save money. 81% of students felt that some form of textbook is necessary in schools.

More telling, though, were students’ comments which seem to confirm that they’ve not yet encountered digital books and that they’re struggling with the paradigm shift.

  • I am not too sure if electronic textbooks would be very handy, you would have to keep flicking back and forth from page to page on your computer.
  • I like turning the pages of a real book.
  • Electronic textbooks would be annoying because you’d always need a computer. Sometimes reading on the computer is not fun.
  • They would save money in the long run, but it would be another thing we would have to learn how to use.
  • Textbooks are useful but not up to date
  • By having electronic textbooks, students would be able to access newer information.

Perhaps more striking is an Education Week article published today entitled Kindle Lightens Textbook Load, But Flaws Remain which chronicles comments from 200 students who received Kindles from Amazon. The Associated Press story also seems to point out some of the problems students have with shifting to digital textbooks on eReaders. “… some students are finding they miss the decidedly low-tech conveniences of paper — highlighting, flagging pages with sticky notes and scribbling in the margins.”  Students disliked taking notes using the tiny keyboard. While students did take advantage of the Kindle’s highlighting and bookmarking features, one commented that a large number of bookmarks can be difficult to organize. For one MBA student, a paper textbook makes more sense when a large number of calculations are necessary, since he needs to scribble notes in the margins.

Students complemented the Kindle, though, and seem to recognize that today’s eReaders are similar to computers from the 1990s, primitive, but a first step.

So, the battle continues. Like any disruptive innovation, we’re all adjusting to a paradigm shift while the technology slowly improves to meet our expectations.

Oct

2

Crisis 2.0 or What Doesn’t Kill You, Makes You Stronger

October 2, 2009 | | Leave a Comment

It’s probably not a surprise to you if I say that these are perilous times. What might surprise you, though, are the opportunities that many may miss as they’re ducking for cover. But then, opportunity is really the wrong word. Let’s call it a favorable set of circumstances where new ideas can be born or given an opportunity to take hold.crisis

Consider the often-repeated translation of the Chinese word “crisis” that says it means “danger” and “opportunity.” Like the repeated notion that the U.S. Patent office said in 1899 that nothing new could be invented, this is also incorrect. The Chinese word for “crisis”, wēi jī (pronounced “way gee” with a high-level voice), is a compound word, as are most words in Mandarin. While the first character, wēi, does mean “danger”, the second part, jī, does not mean “opportunity.” Instead, jī means “incipient moment”, a “crucial point when something begins or changes.” It may seem subtle, but as we trudge through Crisis 2.0, we should be aware that these are the exact times when new ideas are born or take hold. Not quite an opportunity, but a moment when change is possible.

For proof, let’s look at past economic recessions. From 1973 to 1975, our economy was hit hard. The OPEC oil crisis quadrupled oil prices, causing a stock market crash and out of control inflation. A few may remember President Ford’s Whip Inflation Now (WIN) pins. Yet, Frederick W. Smith, who had enormous difficulty selling his idea to deliver packages overnight, at least to his Yale professor, started Federal Express, now FedEx, which ships more than seven million packages each day.

The “Panic of 1873” is another example of how economies over expand when a war ends, only to collapse upon themselves. Preceded by the Black Friday Panic of 1869 where a few tried to corner the gold market causing others to over leverage their investments, the panic ruined many and led to a six-year recession beginning in 1873. And yet, Thomas Edison created the first industrial research lab in Menlo Park and in the middle of a protracted recession invented the first commercially practical incandescent light.

Here, in the middle of Crisis 2.0, what seeds of change can be sown? Consider Governor Schwarzenegger’s Free Digital Textbook Initiative, which took place this summer. In a state with a complex textbook adoption process, the Governor and the State Board of Education proposed to review digital high school math and science textbooks. While pundits criticized the effort as not saving money or that schools weren’t equipped with computers or e-readers for each student, most missed the point. The initiative was about an incipient moment, a time when change is possible, and the first step on the thousand-mile journey to transform textbooks into something much richer. Like the transformative changes that took place in the music publishing industry this decade, we should expect progress in the textbook world as both publishers and educators grow to accept the new paradigm.

Certainly, Crisis 2.0 is deeply affecting educators, students, and parents as we struggle to create relevant, authentic learning opportunities that both cover California’s content standards and prepare students for high-stakes tests. However, even during a crisis, there are incipient moments for us to create, to plant new seeds, and to promote change.

Sep

24

Digital Textbook Survey: Final Results

September 24, 2009 |  Tagged | 1 Comment

On September 8th, CLRN and Educational Support Systems (John and RuthMary Cradler) asked a variety of stakeholders to participate in a Digital Textbook Survey. Invitations were sent to all ACSA, CLRN, and CETPA members, and was placed on the CUE and CLRN web sites. Over 12 days, more than 850 educators responded including 187 California administrators who are ACSA members. Complete results are below as well as a summary of additional courses suggested by participants.

Are you aware of the Free Digital Textbook Initiative?
Administrators:71%
Educators: 52%

Have any educators downloaded one of the digital textbooks?
Administrators: 6%%
Educators: 8%

Did you use CLRN to help decide which books to download?
Administrators: 57%
Educators: 81%

I must wonder how 43% of the administrators and 19% of the educators knew of the initiative and even perused the reviews and were not aware that CLRN was involved.

Are you aware of anyone planning to download one of the books?
Administrators: 19%
Educators: 19%

How will students read these books?
Computer: 34%
eReader: 3%
Paper: 23%
Projected: 23%
Other: 17%

The FDTI will save money
Administrators: 61%
Educators: 64%

The FDTI will increase teaching and learning opportunities
Administrators: 58%
Educators: 64%

The FDTI is an important first step to bring California schools into the digital age
Administrators: 81%
Educators: 80%

The FDTI will make it possible for textbooks to be updated on a more timely basis
Administrators: 85%
Educators: 88%

The FDTI should be expanded to include interactive applications
Administrators: 87%
Educators: 88%

The FDTI should include both free and fee-based digital textbooks
Administrators: 67%
Educators: 66%

The cost vs. benefits of the FDTI should be assessed
Administrators: 88%
Educators: 90%

Please list any additional courses for which free digital textbooks would be most desired.

English-language arts
71 participants suggested we review English textbooks, the majority of whom asked for high school English courses including English I, AP English, and English literature. One-third of requests were for middle-school language arts textbooks.

History-social science
The majority of respondents asked for textbooks in U.S. History, World History, and Social Studies. 10% asked for Economics textbooks.

Mathematics
The majority of the 112 mathematics requests were for subjects already included in the initiative including Geometry, Calculus, and Algebra II. However, 20% did request Algebra I or Pre-algebra textbooks.

Science
While most of the 83 science requests were for subjects/courses already included in the initiative, quite a few educators asked for middle school science texts.

Other
“Other” turns out to be a diverse group of requests ranging from Art History to Visual and Performing Arts. In between, though, are a significant number of requests for world language textbooks including french and spanish; visual and performing arts books including Art, Ceramics, Dance, Music, and Theatre; and technology-related courses such as Computer Science, Digital Photography, and Video Production.

Sep

23

Digital Textbook Survey: User Comments

September 23, 2009 |  Tagged | Leave a Comment

To date, more than 850 administrators and teachers have taken our digital textbook survey and the results are impressive. My next post will include complete summary data from the survey. Participants had quite a bit to say about the initiative, as more than 200 of them submitted comments or suggestions, the majority of which align within seven themes: 1) Standards Alignment/Content Quality; 2) Additional Subjects/Levels; 3) Technology/Implementation/Williams Act; 4) Formats; 5) Supplemental Materials; 6) Accolades; and 7) Other.  Below is a sampling of comments from each of them.

Standards Alignment/ Content Quality

  1. I would agree to use the digital textbooks, if I were guaranteed that the textbooks thoroughly taught all of the standards, and not only partially taught the standards.
  2. The alignment of the digital textbooks to the state content standards is a huge issue. There is way too much misalignment for us to utilize them in their current form.
  3. It would be of immense help if the digital textbooks actually aligned with the print versions that are used in our schools. At the moment none of our textbooks are on your site. Students also need more access to computers – and if that is true in our college town, it is undoubtedly true for other areas of the state.
  4. I think the quality of content and presentation will have to significantly improve before they are viable. I also believe the cost and logistics of the technology needed to use the textbook exceeds the cost of hard copy textbook.

Technology/Implementation/Williams Act

  1. Implementation will require planning & identifying teachers willing to pilot the program. Timing is of essence and most decisions are made in March in regards to C&I decisions tied to funding resources and professional development.
  2. Teachers will need significant professional development in order for them to use the resources. Also parents are in need of training. Otherwise I feel that the digital text will be similar to other objects in our schools that simply sit and are not used.
  3. Decision makers in our district have ongoing concerns about equal access to computers as we continue to have disparities among those who have computers at home and those who do not.
  4. It is a great program with one flaw. … THE WILLIAMS ACT. We end up having to print the online textbook, which is absurd. They should announce a waiver to the Williams act if parents sign it. Then this would make more sense.
  5. At the school site, teachers have heard of the Initiative from the news, but have been told to use the textbooks adopted by the district- Williams Act forces us to assign books to students- we really do not have the power to use them at all. With the amount we spend on books, we should be able to provide a laptop for each student, even with paying for downloaded books- plus students wouldn’t have to carry the heavy backpacks- we no longer can afford a book for home plus a class set- they have to carry them. Our district office hasn’t given us any information about use of digital books.
  6. The readers cost more than the books and are easier to destroy, thereby making them more expensive overall. How are you going to get the digital books to the poor without readers and without them having computers? Sure, upper-class region students can use these and even buy their own readers, but you’re really widening the achievement gap even more when one group of kids gets amazing interactive textbooks and the other gets broken readers and/or tagged up paper textbooks. How will you find an equalizer?
  7. FDTI assumes there is not digital divide in our communities. Households that have one computer are not necessarily computer literate, and there is the issue of sharing. FDTI, under the Williams decision, will lead to school district funding of computers, Internet access, and maintenance of equipment in each student’s home in our community. That would be excellent if it actually came with adequate funding. Of course, you and I both know that will not happen in this state.
  8. We have a 1:1 computer program for our 7-12 students. They can take the laptop home and not carry any textbooks. This resolves any health concerns for carrying heavy items. Students can have access to the books at all times.

Accolades

  1. I love it!!!! I hope that we can be completely paperless in the future in regards to textbooks. Save the trees and have consistently updated materials. I would also suggest including college textbooks as we have an Early College High School in our district and the cost for college textbooks are exorbitant.
  2. A good and timely step into the tech world
  3. Implement ASAP! Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
  4. Please spread the word more about this initiative. Thank you.
  5. Advertise FDTI even more
  6. I’m looking forward to learning more about these possibilities and actual implementation

Additional Subjects/Levels

  1. This is an excellent idea. Please extent it to Middle School
  2. I am an elementary principal. At this time I do not believe that there are any books available for our level.
  3. We are a K-8 district and we need the same opportunity for the state adopted textbook programs.
  4. The idea is great, but it needs to be expanded to include elementary books as well as middle school.
  5. Where are the language arts textbooks? I only see science and math.
  6. ” I know this is targeted at high school, but when would this happen for middle school or elementary?
  7. I’d like to see this at the elementary level also.
  8. I would like to see the initiative go beyond math and science and covers ALL subject areas.

Formats

  1. Digital textbooks need to be available in numerous formats, including E-books (Kindle, Sony), PC, Mac, Blackberry, etc. Electronic textbooks need to be able to read the text in English.

Supplemental Materials

  1. Intervention materials are the largest gap at the moment. We are in need in every content area and at all levels (K-12).
  2. Supplemental materials to support access to the textbook (audio version, scaffolding language, etc).
  3. Effective teaching strategies that use digital textbooks need to be identified

Other Comments

  1. I was aware of the initiative but wasn’t aware that some textbooks could already be accessed.
  2. I strongly agree that an assessment should be conducted to determine the overall cost vs. the benefits of digital textbooks. Not all students and schools have the technology needed to implement digital textbooks and materials.
  3. Need more marketing of research and best practices to support the reasons for the free digital textbook initiative. There was a concern expressed that FDTI is a threat to libraries.
  4. A number of digital programs are currently under way in other states and countries. Will CLRN being sending out a summative newsletter on the topic?
  5. Please expedite this instructional change. The thought of being the last principal to purchase non-digital textbooks depresses me.
  6. I am interested in seeing what happens next.

As are we. Stay tuned for our announcement of Phase Two of the initiative.

Coming soon.