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Three California-Adopted Digital Textbooks and What They Tell Us About the Disruption
November 2, 2009 | Tagged digital textbook initiative | 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.”
