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.

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.

Last week, CLRN’s evaluator, Educational Support Systems, conducted an online survey to determine user awareness and perceptions of the Free Digital Textbook Initiative. The survey was sent to all ACSA members, all CLRN registered users, and CUE members. In addition, CETPA has just forwarded the survey to their members, so I’m looking forward to additional data later this week. During the first three days, more than 700 educators have responded. The preliminary data listed below will be updated due to the volume of responses still arriving. Any press release about this data should mention that this was a CLRN survey conducted Educational Support Systems.

Overall, we are not surprised, nor disappointed that these books are not being implemented in great numbers. This is a change process and a variety of issues must be resolved before a tipping point is reached. The data, though, is quite positive.

FDTI: Administrator Results (164 participants as of Friday morning)

• 70% of administrators are aware of the Free Digital Textbook Initiative
• 7% were aware of district educators who had downloaded one of the books.
• 65% of administrators believe the FDTI will save schools and districts money by reducing the costs of textbooks.
• 83% believe the FDTI is an important first step in moving California schools into the digital age.
• 84% think the FDTI will make it possible for textbooks to be updated on a more timely basis.
• 88% believe the initiative should be expanded to include interactive educational applications.
• 73% would like both free and fee resources to be reviewed.
• Finally, 89% would like us to conduct an assessment determining the overall cost vs. the benefits of digital textbooks.

FDTI Educator Results (From CLRN, CUE, & CETPA: 555 responses as of Friday morning)

Of the educators who responded from these groups, 79% were teachers, 6% were principals, and 9% were district office administrators.

• 52% were aware of the initiative.
• 7% knew of educators in their district who had downloaded one of the books.
• 43% believe the FDTI will save schools and districts money by reducing the cost of textbooks.
• 65% agree that the initiative will increase teaching and learning opportunities.
• 79% think that the Free Digital Textbook Initiative is an important first step in moving California schools into the digital age.
• 87% believe that the FDTI will make it possible for textbooks to be updated on a more timely basis.
• 88% would like the initiative expanded to include interactive applications.
• 66% think future phases should include free and fee based resources.
• 90% would like an assessment conducted to determine the overall cost vs. benefits of digital textbooks.

There is still time to take the survey and enter to win one of two iPod Nanos. Just mosey over to the CLRN web site and click the survey link.

Few things have remained as consistent the past 50 years as your textbook. In the not to far distant past, we were still using chalkboards, 16mm projectors, overhead projectors, and dukanes. While some classrooms are still model’s of 1950’s design, many  have shed these antiquities for more modern conveniences, like interactive white boards, personal response systems, and projectors that can display streaming video clips. One aspect that has not improved with time, except to grow larger, is the textbook, which still remains flat and linear after all these years. This is beginning to change, though.  Change is coming to a textbook near you and textbook publishers Pearson Education and McGraw-Hill are embracing the transformation.

As CLRN prepares for phase two of the initiative, we’ve also been looking for the puzzle pieces that will someday become part of a new content delivery model. A few weeks ago, we came across one piece which is a variation of an older theme. Educator.com and Brightstorm.com are new entrants that remind me of the transformation that undertook video publishers a decade ago. Then, the educational video industry was dying. As I outlined in Too Big to Succeed, the industry was saved by United Learning (soon to be UnitedStreaming) which took full length videos, chopped them into small clips that were tagged with the appropriate content standards, and streamed them as part of a subscription service. Teachers could choose to watch an entire video, or just those clips that taught the content standards of their choice. The new model, streaming video, became the standard as Discovery Streaming, Learn360, and others vie for market share.

Those familiar with iTunes U, MIT Open Courseware, and Academic Earth know that a vast number of full course video lectures may now be viewed and downloaded from these and other sites, and while these are primarily college courses, they’ve created an interesting model, not dissimilar from the full-lenth videos from the last millenia. Recently, though two competitors, Educator.com and Brightstorm.com have latched onto UnitedStreaming’s model by disaggregating full-course videos into individual clips. At Educator.com, a one-hour lecture on the Periodic Table is divided into more than 20 clips. Once both sites attach content standards to their clips, we will have taken one more step towards a new content delivery model, one that streams full course K-12 content that is divided into small clips. Then, teachers, home schoolers, or parents looking to help their children can search for specific lecture clips for their just-in-time assistance.

As I mentioned in the beginning, lecture clips are one brick in the new wall that is being built. While we don’t have the blueprints or drawings that show what the wall looks like, how well it’s built, or what shape it will take, we do know a brick when we see it. Streamed lecture clips are one piece of the puzzle. Alone, they’re just a brick. Combined with other building materials like interactive applications, content from textbooks, and assessments, a new wall will emerge in time.

CLRN is conducting a survey of the Free Digital Textbook Initiative to discover awareness among educators, to find out whether educators plan to implement any of the books, and to inquire about the need for additional courses. We’d appreciate if you would participate and forward this message to educators in your area. As a reward, we’ll select two surveys at random for an iPod Nano.

Your assistance is needed:

On June 9, 2009, the Governor implemented the Free Digital Textbook Initiative (FDTI) making it possible for educators to access and download free high school math and science textbooks that align to the California Content Standards. The California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) reviews and determines the extent to which digital textbooks align to the Standards and then posts the information on the CLRN Website. Educators can go to CLRN to determine which standards-aligned digital textbooks are available.  This survey is to determine familiarity and use of the digital textbook program by California schools. Your completion of this survey will help to determine the value and make improvements in the digital textbook initiative.

To complete the survey, go to:  http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/13107g3fc1a

Thank You