From Paper to Pixel: The Promise and Challenges of Digital Textbooks for K-12 Schools

The textbook is the single most defining source of content in US public schools. In the current economic climate, however, school administrators are looking for ways to control rising textbook expenditures by shifting to digital textbooks. In this chapter, we explore a range of digital textbook formats and applications and weigh their potential benefits and pitfalls. Florida, the first state to pass a mandatory digital textbook law, provides a context in which to examine many of these factors. We conclude with recommendations for school administrators and educators, with particular attention to the leadership role the school librarian can play in digital textbook implementation, management, and innovation. [For the complete volume, "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook, Volume 37," see ED595734.]