For years now, we have been hearing about how the cost of classroom materials was putting a real pinch on the learning process.  States like California looked to put a ban on purchasing new textbooks, hoping to squeeze out a few extra years with their current materials.  States and districts explored “e-learning,” believing that using laptops or tablets would somehow greatly reduce the cost of instruction (forgetting that actual machines, their repair, and their replacement cost similar dollars).  So then we’re back to the drawing board, looking for new ways to ensure today’s students have the latest information.

This week, though, Apple offered an intriguing answer to the ongoing question.  In a splashy news conference in New York City, very much in Apple style, the technology giant introduced its e-textbook initiative.  As part of the effort, Apple will launch a line of K-12 ebooks, along with a new application to allow individuals to publish their own textbooks.  It is also going to partner with the big three publishing houses – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Pearson, and McGraw Hill – in delivering classroom materials, via iPad, to our K-12 schools.

Will this latest development solve all that ails us?  Probably not.  Converting all of our classrooms into iPad reading rooms is a costly endeavor.  Many districts have already headed down the path of using cheaper netbooks to enhance the learning process.  And, at least for now, the Apple iBooks effort will be the exclusive playground of iPad users.

But it definitely gets us in the right direction.  Why?
• Electronic platforms allow us to update content instantaneously.  Such approaches mean we don’t have the traditional 10-year lag time of printed textbooks (obviously helped by the downloadable updates many publishers now make available).
• It empowers educators to get involved in the textbook development process.  Through the Apple Apps process, anyone can be a program developer.  Through this new textbook initiative, Apple has made it clear that individuals can build their own textbooks.  The challenge here, of course, is ensuring some oversight to guarantee the quality of content produced.
• E-readers such as the iPad are more relevant to today’s learners than traditional textbooks.  Like it or not, we live in a technology-driven world.  We should be building on our students’ skills, not turning them away from 21st century platforms.  Don’t believe me?  Take a look at recent news on how a new Houghton Mifflin Harcourt math product for the iPad has increased student performance numbers significantly.

It is now up to state departments of education, local school districts, school boards, and principals to ensure that teachers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to maximize these new opportunities.  How do we effectively utilize them in the classroom?  How do we get involved in creating new textbooks?  And most importantly, how do we actually improve student learning.  The tools and platforms are great, but if we aren’t using them effectively, we might as well go back to using flints and stone tablets.

Patrick Riccards authors the blog Eduflack. The views expressed here are his own.