So interesting.  Kids will be drawn to the best available, and they’ll spread the message, so just like the Khan Academy, the best teaching methods will draw the largest number of students.  In other words, the end of the ‘lousy text’ monopoly  
It’s no small wonder that some educrats on this blog are strenuously objecting to the Khan Academy:  it’s clear direct instructional methods are contrary to their coveted/false beliefs of how to educate; yet for once they have no control over stopping it.

I don’t know, McGraw-Hill - sounds like a textbook publisher to me.  The major publishers have all slowly moved to digital versions.  Back in 2006, we got a new Grade 9 textbook from Pearson, each physical copy came with its own CD - the entire textbook as well as sample tutorials.  None of this is anything new.  If you were reading the Khan blogs, you would have noted that the teacher from Texas said that the entire state was moving to textbooks on-line.  Instead of purchasing physical textbooks, schools will be purchasing licences to download x number of copies.  All this is just glitz - they are putting a Cadillac body on a Chev chassis - mind you, fewer trees are weeping, so that’s a good thing.  Although this may open up the field to new publishers, don’t expect it anytime soon.  You forget the ‘Trillium List’.  Unless it is a textbook approved by the Ministry, schools may not purchase it - physical or digital.  If you want to see better textbooks in the schools, you need to lobby Mowat Block.

This introduces another choice to students and teachers.

I wonder how much could be saved in textbook money by moving to digital for those who wish to learn that way?

Textbooks - another tool which work for some but not others - including teachers.

I think that with texts going digital, parents will find it easier to access good digital texts to enable their children to learn their subject matter better.  Comparions will be a glaring example of how poor the texts on the Trillium List are, and therefore how badly taught the subjects are here in Ontario.  Unfortnately, of course the poor will not have this advantage.

Bev,

“Unfortnately, of course the poor will not have this advantage” - yes they will.  You have missed Malkin’s point above - the textbook she is talking about will be in digital only version. The only way to read it will be to use a computer or e-Reader.  The Ministry will not allow a student to sit at a desk with no way of accessing the course material - it will be provided for them.  In fact, the Ministry just nixed all kinds of materials - like French Workbooks - that the students used to pay for.  It is absolutely against Ministry policy that students should have to pay for instructional materials.

Jurisdictions all over North America, Ontario included are beginning to purchase, or at least budget for, these new devices.  Welcome to billions of new dollars of government spending on education.  I never would have thought you guys would support this, but there are times when you surprise me! .

I followed some links, to confirm why Khan Academy works effectively for some students.

The first link is the Keynote address at the International Society of Technology in Education. Go to the 30 minute mark, for the full address of Dr. Medino.
http://www.youtube.com/user/istevideos#p/f/12/tRJPWeqJ2U8

“The brain is an amazing thing. Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know.

How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? What can science tell us about raising smart, happy children?

Brain Rules are things we know for sure, and John Medina explains what we might do with that knowledge.”
http://www.brainrules.net/

And the brain rules, and one can see why Khan Academy is effective to fill in the gaps.

“The 12 Brain Rules, illustrated

After you read a chapter, reinforce the main points through illustrations, charts and video.
chapter first.

EXERCISE | Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
SURVIVAL | Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.
WIRING | Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
ATTENTION | Rule #4: We don’t pay attention to boring things.
SHORT-TERM MEMORY | Rule #5: Repeat to remember.
LONG-TERM MEMORY | Rule #6: Remember to repeat.
SLEEP | Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
STRESS | Rule #8: Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.
SENSORY INTEGRATION | Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.
VISION | Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.
GENDER | Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
EXPLORATION | Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.”

http://www.brainrules.net/about-brain-rules

Digital textbooks are effective, depending on the rules surrounding them. Can pages be printed off?  Can text be copied and paste?  I hope you are getting my drift, making the connections between Dr. Medino’s Brain rules and how an individual student uses digital textbooks. For my child, not much good for her, if the digital textbook only allows printing of work sheets.

Most students don’t have the capability to teach themselves before grade 6-7; and at that time only if the textbooks are well-sequenced and clear and if they haven’t already given up on themselves in that subject.
If they have gaps in knowledge all the bets are off unless they have access to lower grades in well-sequenced texts such as Singapore math or Khan academy.

A digital version of Math Makes Sense for example, the textbook I’m familiar with, is is just as crappy as the printed version. The only advantage is that is saves trees and it is much lighter to carry.

As for students choosing other digital materials for themselves or for parents choosing other digital materials ... personally I don’t see it happening.

My experiences with parents is that unless they are immigrants and the experiences of a different type of schooling are very fresh in their minds or if they have personalities strong enough to trust their own judgement even if the crowd goes in a different directions is that they go with the crowd.

If everybody says so and does so, it must be good.

It is way too hard pshychologically to consistently go against the crowd and to risk your relationship with your child by asking your child to do more work when no students around him do so and when the feedback he receives from school on a daily basis is that he is doing just fine.

I’ve seen 3 parents so far going from being incensed with the system, to putting up with it because they had no other option and then to actually say that since all the students go through the same thing then as long as their kids do better than others they will be ok.

This phenomenon is called cognitive dissonance, the principle has been used to gradually change the beliefs of american war prisoners in China so they would denounce the american system and way of life and applaud the chinese one.

What are parents to do? Admit to themselves that their children’s development is severely curtailed when they are the ones sending them to school every day? They gradually convince themselves that is not too bad, maybe it is even good .. it must be good since everybody behaves as if it is and nobody says boo!

I find that toward the end of middle school a lot of aware parents have stopped fighting and do nothing as long as their kid’s grades are at the class average or above. The attitude is: my kid is going to do what all the other kids are doing and they all seem to manage ok in the end somehow, and anyway I can’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to.

but Europe aren’t we all just “putting up with” the system?

How about we give parents, students and teachers a chance to use whatever works for them?

My experience with parents hasn’t been as negative as yours. I’ve met and worked with many parents who could give educators a run for their money, AND can figure out balance sheets, follow directions and think for themselves to be leaders in their school communities….whichever type that may be.

The more parents are educated as to their choices both in and outside the school AND to know that there’s a support system backing them up - usually other parents but often organizations as well the better able they are to see and understand what’s best for their own child.

>> I’ve met and worked with many parents who could give educators a run for their money, AND can figure out balance sheets, follow directions and think for themselves to be leaders in their school communities….whichever type that may be.
<<

Sure, a lot of us could.
What is the point if at the end of the day you cannot change who teaches your child and the way they choose to teach your child?

Yes, you can influence a bit teachers that are already decent. But other than that, a parent has absolutely no influence in what and how his child is taught in school.

Some choice exists only if the parents have some money and only one or two children or if the parents can afford to - and one of them has the willingness and personality - for one of them to stay home to homeschool their children for a few years.

The other point I’d like to make is that the politically correct culture in schools sets up the parents of students who are lazy (don’t do their homework) and indisciplined against the parents of more hardworking students.

Since the political correctness has encouraged a very laid back attitude about quiet and discipline in the classroom, the teachers don’t have much room to do anything about it because they fear the backlash from the parents of indisciplined students.
The parents can always raise discrimination, lack of understanding of the “whole child” and lack of attending to the particular needs of their child and some of them do. It’s a gray area, where there are no clear standards and expectations and where most teachers choose the safe approach: do nothing as long as they don’t hurt each other.

Who loses? The disciplined, motivated students. They go to school to endure a lot of chaos, watered down teaching, watered down expectation.

Students find out very quickly that for example teachers are not allowed to deduct points from their final grade if they hand in assignments late. Guess what happens?
The students find out very quickly that if they complain strong enough and often enough that something is too hard, the teacher would back down and give them something easier to do. Guess what happens?