Schwarzenegger's push for digital textbooks | csmonitor.com

The California governor wants to save money by dumping printed schoolbooks for online, open-source texts. But is it feasible?

By Michael B. Farrell/The Christian Science Monitor

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking a page from high school science books in an effort to shrink California's $24 billion budget gap. In fact, he wants to take the entire book – and do away with it. By next fall, Governor Schwarzenegger intends to make free, open-source digital textbooks available for high school math and science classes throughout California, a move that he says will help reduce the more than $350 million the state spends annually on educational materials. Some critics doubt the idea will result in any immediate cost savings – and question a plan that might require investment in technology and teacher training at a time when schools face deep budget cuts. But if California embraces open-source materials, which are now increasingly used on college campuses, a nationwide debate over traditional textbooks is bound to follow.