Computers elbow out textbooks in classrooms

Districts are quickly using other lures, rather than textbooks, to entice children to enjoy learning.

"Supplemental materials are growing in importance because kids learn differently," said Stephen Driesler, executive director of the Association of American Publishers, School Division. "You need to be able to customize instruction. No textbook can meet the needs of all the students. They can meet basic needs of most students but the role of supplemental materials is to customize needs to particular students."

Greensburg Salem schools continually revise plans to keep up with Pennsylvania Department of Education standards, said Judith McMahon, director of professional development and K-12 curriculum, instruction and assessment.

For the 2006-07 school year, the district plans to spend $12,000 to buy 175 American history books for 10th-graders. With block scheduling, two groups of students will use the books in one year, each completing a year of material in one semester. The district can order fewer books this way, but they will wear out more quickly, McMahon said.

"The previous American history textbook we were using we used for six years," McMahon said. The new book includes events through the Clinton administration.

Students rely on supplemental materials such as periodicals and online information to learn more-recent history.

Derry Area School District also continually updates, but Assistant Superintendent Roberta Kuhns said most districts are moving away from textbooks. "The textbook is just one small part of most of our curriculum," she said.

Though textbooks are still part of each school's budget, learning is increasingly helped by technology.

In Greensburg Salem, carefully selected Internet sites and video clips give background and context to lessons.

"The world has changed a lot in giving students information," said Harry Smith, assistant to the superintendent in Penn-Trafford School District.

"I would personally like to wean parents away from textbooks ... other than as a source of reference," he said.

McMahon said Greensburg Salem has stepped away from a sole focus on textbooks for some time, citing its "hands-on inquiry science" for grades K-6.

"We believe in it. Our kids are doing very well in science," she said.

One of the first steps away from the textbook already has been taken, as many schools offer books on CD-ROM or online.

"Things are changing," said Joe Leftwich, director of instructional service at Franklin Regional School District in Murrysville.

The district bought an electronic version of its math text to supplement the print version. It also came with a tutorial CD.

"We were able to send those home with all the kids," Leftwich said. "My one daughter happened to be in the grade level where those books were coming. I don't think she ever carried her math book home."

Even more reason for the electronic version is evident when factoring in the wear on books. Leftwich said 10 percent of books need to be rebound after three years of use.

In the 2005-06 school year, Franklin Regional spent $50,000 on textbooks. "That is a very small (expense) year," Leftwich said.

Still, local districts are not totally abandoning textbooks. Most rotate them on a certain cycle.

After one more year of its rotation cycle, Leftwich said, Franklin Regional expects to spend about $250,000 every year for four years. "All 16 areas will be going through review in the next four years," he said.

Hempfield Area Assistant Superintendent Terry Foriska said that district runs on a seven-year curriculum cycle. "We may do one or several departments in any given year," he said.

This year, Hempfield updates included health, science and business administration materials. Hempfield's 2005-06 curriculum and programs budget included approximately $315,000 for textbooks. Including such items as computer software and resource materials, the total 2005-06 academic budget was $950,000.

The 2006-07 projected cost of textbooks is $235,000, Foriska said.

Hempfield Area middle and high school students use online literature books, and Foriska said he hopes to make online science books available next year.

Burrell School District began a five-year textbook rotation five years ago, Assistant Superintendent George Staudenmaier said.

Staudenmaier projects $114,000 will be spent next year. At the beginning of its rotation program, when the district updated language arts, the cost was almost $250,000, he said.

McMahon, Foriska and Staudenmaier said technology helps to lighten students' workloads, not to mention their backpacks.

Hempfield schools offer computer labs as well as eight to 10 carts holding 25 to 50 laptops with wireless connection.

Greensburg Salem offers computer labs and laptop carts in every building. Burrell and Franklin Regional schools have mobile labs, too. Derry Area has computers in every classroom and has been working to acquire more mobile labs as the budget allows.

Many programs in the Monessen City School District are Web-based or hands-on. "We do have a lot of integrated technology," said Debra Kozar, reading coach and technology coordinator for the district.

Programs include those in reading, math and reteaching. Many programs, such as Apangea Learning, offer online support and can be accessed from home.

Schools also are taking advantage of PowerPoint presentations, Elmo overhead projections, SMARTBoard (computerized white boards) and WebQuest.

McMahon said PowerPoint is effective when presentations are brief and focused, but when a slide show drags on, students get bored. She said teachers use Elmo to project three-dimensional images of math concepts, science examples or even a student's essay for a class to dissect. SMARTBoard gives students the chance to interact with each other and the material.

Burrell has 23 SMARTBoards and Internet access. Every teacher has access to e-mail and the Web, and library computers are open to students.

Staudenmaier said he would like to see classrooms add other tools, such as digital cameras and camcorders.

Staudenmaier said it's not difficult to imagine a day when textbooks are unnecessary, but for now no district is eliminating them.

McMahon said, "For us the textbook is very important, but it's a core resource, not the whole picture."

Smith agreed, saying, "A textbook should guide your curriculum. It should not be your curriculum."

"Textbooks are becoming less and less popular at good schools," said Steve Peha, president of Teaching That Makes Sense Inc., an independent education consultant firm with clients in the United States and Canada. "Exactly the opposite is happening at bad schools."

Peha said schools are training teachers to build their own curriculum with a wide variety of resources, not just what may be a restrictive, low-quality textbook.

Tamara Simpson of the Tribune-Review News Service contributed to this article.

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