Oct
29
Digital Textbooks: Is it a Revolution if Everyone is on the Same Side?
October 29, 2009 | Tagged digital textbook initiative, disruptive innovation | 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.
