{"id":13547,"date":"2012-09-25T11:53:20","date_gmt":"2012-09-25T15:53:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=13547"},"modified":"2012-09-25T11:53:22","modified_gmt":"2012-09-25T15:53:22","slug":"explaining-floridas-shift-to-digital-textbooks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/09\/25\/explaining-floridas-shift-to-digital-textbooks\/","title":{"rendered":"Explaining Florida’s Shift To Digital Textbooks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Official Saint Leo University\/flickr<\/p>

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Kindles or other electronic devices will soon replace textbooks in classrooms.<\/p>\n

New requirements mean Florida students will use digital textbooks by 2015.<\/p>\n

Some districts have already started making the change.<\/p>\n

In Pasco County, where there\u2019s a textbook shortage<\/a>, the district opted to spend money on digital copies of books this school year.<\/p>\n

The problem is that many students don\u2019t have easy access to the internet.<\/p>\n

Districts have a few years to work out the kinks. But they also argue the push to add updated technology — including digital textbooks — is an unpaid bill from the Legislature<\/a> which will cost at least $1 billion.<\/p>\n

The Florida Legislature this year created the Digital Instructional Materials Work Group<\/a> to help lead the transition.<\/p>\n

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The nine-member panel convened in Orlando for the first time today. It\u2019s comprised of principals, parents, and technology experts.<\/p>\n

The group will come up with a plan to implement the shift from textbooks to digital materials<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, instructional materials for students in K-12 must be provided in electronic or digital format.<\/p>\n

The work group\u2019s plan must specify:<\/p>\n