FCC Announces Digital Textbook Initiative for Schools

Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports on new plans by the FCC to accelerate the move to digital textbooks for schools.  This five-year plan comes after Apple's announcement last month regarding the companies new digital publishing software  iBooks 2 and iBooks Author.  These new digital textbooks announcements are ideally suited for Apple iPad's and other tablets.

"FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced plans yesterday to get all U.S. students from kindergarten through the 12th grade using electronic titles within five years. The initiative, which doesn’t involve any additional U.S. government funding, is meant to speed adoption of e-textbooks. The U.S. spends $7 billion a year on textbooks, and digital versions are the exception, rather than the rule, Genachowski said.

Textbook publishers including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Pearson Plc and McGraw-Hill Cos. have been making the digital transition and offer a “vast array” of electronic textbooks, while many schools don’t have the devices needed to use them, Jay Diskey, executive director of the school division for the Washington-based Association of American Publishers, said in an interview."

The digital textbook initiative, while heading in the right direction, will only be successful as schools are able to make the necessary investments to existing networks, technical support services and training for teachers.