OUR TURN: Online textbooks better for our schoolchildren

The time has come for Texas schools to keep pace with technology and abandon paper textbooks in favor of online study materials.

When the Legislature convenes in January, lawmakers should push for online-only textbooks in classrooms, which would mean giving each student across the state a way to access their lessons electronically, whether that’s via laptop, notebook or an e-reader.

The advantages to phasing out printed textbooks in favor of online tools in the classroom are many.

Printed textbooks are invariably out of date by the time they get to the classroom.

Many also contain errors that aren’t identified until long after the shipments have been delivered, and then there is little to be done to correct those mistakes.

Online textbooks, however, can be updated or amended at the speed of light and with the touch of a button. A single command can rectify a mistake in a data stream that goes out to a million schoolchildren in less time than it takes to blink.

Printed textbooks are expensive, reflecting the rising costs of ink and lumber for paper.

They are cumbersome, heavy and require more storage space than a laptop or a notebook. Notebooks and laptops are very portable, light and are becoming more affordable. Trees also don’t have to be chopped down to make one.

Paper textbooks also cannot store anywhere near the amount of information that can be downloaded and kept on a computer.

Indeed, the tax money school districts today use to buy textbooks could be more wisely spent on the acquisition of a computer for every child. Some school districts would also have to invest in wireless networks, but the federal government has recently announced efforts to bring broadband access to 90 percent of America.

A textbook is not interactive. But students with a computer have the world at their fingertips. E-mail, instant messaging, hyperlinks, file-sharing and so many other online experiences — properly monitored by teachers and parents, of course — create multiple conduits for learning experiences no static piece of dead tree can ever offer.

The concept of basing school days around information and lessons on computer software is gaining traction from no less than the governor of Texas himself, Rick Perry.

“I don’t see any reason in the world why we need to have textbooks in Texas in the next four years. Do you agree?” Perry asked participants at a computer gaming education conference in Austin earlier this month, according to the Associated Press.

Perry noted that online problem-solving games can spark a student’s interest in math and science.

Perry says he will pursue the initiative with the 82nd Legislature. Teachers, school administrators, the Texas Education Association, the State Board of Education and even the University Interscholastic League should add their support to Perry’s effort.

But even more important are the wishes of parents on behalf of their children — parents who want a better future for their kids in a world that is increasingly digital. Their voices need to be heard in Austin as well.

Yes, there will be opposition. There always is to change. Yet Texas spends nearly $48 million a year for deadwood textbooks, which means the state has some leverage and can also set the stage for the next leap in classroom learning tools.

This is an idea that should become reality. If Texas schools are to prepare students for the global marketplace of the 21st century, they need to begin using the right tools.

Parents who want their children to be ready for the job market of tomorrow need to let lawmakers and educators know they want digital learning for schoolchildren now.

Online textbooks are the answer.

The Daily Tribune editorial board includes Dan Alvey, Amber Alvey Weems, Thomas Edwards, Daniel Clifton and Chris Porter