A Reply to BC Politicians about e-Textbooks

During the recent BC election there was a talk about the benefits of e-textbooks without a lot of thinking about the actual cost verses the perceived savings. The following note was sent to the CBC morning show, On the Island, in response to a rather shallow discussion on the subject.....

As a publisher of Educational science print and digital resources, I think it's time to say the candidates on your show today need to think a bit more about accessing resources for education. Free K - 12 textbooks online? While this sounds great, it's just not a fiscal or practical reality at this time.

For example, total cost of textbooks for a grade 12 student - maybe $420. And the book is used for at least 7 years. OK, that's $70 per year for that student to have all the information he or she needs to complete an academic course load.

Access the books online at home:

Cost of Internet $30/month

Cost of computer/tablet/any kind of smart device: $500 - $2000

Length of time device can be used: 3 - 4 years

Total Cost? More than $50 a year.

And this doesn't account for any infrastructure or training of teachers in the schools. It's time to realize we're going to have paper for a long time to come in schools and stop pretending we won't. After all, if we need a new MRI machine for Vic General or new computers for Vic High, which will the voters (and by extension our elected officials) choose?

Thanks