History Luke Rosa wheels his cart filled with into a at Falls Church High School in Virginia.
This year, the Fairfax County Public Schools sytem has shifted from cover to textbooks for studies in its and schools. This system's Assistant Superintendent Peter Noonan says the switch came after were used in 15 schools year.
Peter Noonan : “Our come to us savvy and ready to utilize from a variety of different places.”
Noonan points to the of electronic , such as the ability to content.
Peter Noonan : "The is consistently and the textbooks can right along with the events that are .”
And there's a significant benefit as well.
Peter Noonan : “Usually it is in the neighborhood of between $50 and $70 to a textbook for each , which adds up to roughly $8 million for all of our students in Fairfax County. We actually have all of the online textbooks for our students for just under $6 million.”
have mixed about the , but most like it.
High school student Melanie Reuter : “I do not have to a textbook around, so that is .”
Fellow student Maria Stephany : “I don’t it because the sometimes doesn’t .”
High schooler Brian Tran : “You can your . You can leave on your work and it will all be saved onto your . It is a lot better than a regular textbook.”
Social studies teacher Michael Bambara thinks so, too.
Bambara : “Particularly this book, that I use in government, has differentiated levels. So a person can their and I can their .”
However, making all students have online school remains a . About 10 percent of students in Fairfax County don’t a or online at .
Stephen Castillo is one of them : “Pretty much go to the , I guess, or go to a ’s house.”
Besides the ’s computer terminals, students can also use the school's -school computer , or go to one of the computer club houses by the .
Slieman Hakim, a middle school student : “All of my family works on a , my sister and me both do our on it. So I come here to do my . It is good.”
Neighboring counties are also considering online textbooks. Gladys Whitehead, director of Curriculum of Prince George’s County Public Schools, says its survey shows 60 percent of students have computer access at home.
“Next year we will just have a pilot with probably one and one subject area, so that we can see, you know, what issues will come up with complete online access.”
Peter Noonan : “I envision a where my third grade will likely being five back and forth between and when he gets there. I think he will be either a or some sort of that he will be able to his on.”
And , says Peter Noonan, are taking the in that now.
