Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, seeks to cut budget deficit by replacing ‘outdated’ textbooks with electronic reading devices.

Gov. Schwarzenegger wants to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in state spending each year. He believes that converting to online study will also help keep pupils more up-to-date.

From the beginning of next school year in August, maths and science students in California’s high schools will have access to online texts that have passed an academic standards review.

The governor says digital textbooks can be updated easily, so learning keeps pace with progress.

What does the future hold for educational textbooks, should e-books be the new way forward?

Mark E. Belles, Vice President, Content Providers, Blackboard believes "Gov. Schwarzenegger’s plans align with the evolution we see occurring in online learning. Decreasing costs is certainly a benefit of teaching and learning online, but its greatest impact on educators and students may be in how and when education occurs. Digital content enables customized teaching at the individual level.

"Students are increasingly savvy users and creators of technology. Their social lives involve gaming, online collaboration and sharing, and interactive experiences. Digital learning can incorporate all of these activities. The flexibility of digital content also enables tailored learning at the individual level. Personalized learning experiences are more engaging and often prompt closer collaboration amongst teachers, students and their parents. Digital learning, by transforming the experience of education in these ways, will increase the positive impact education has on both individuals and communities", continues Belles.

Andrea Carr, MD of Rising Stars, an educational publisher, also shares these views; "It’s hard to ignore the fact that text in digitised format engages learners. Children have a thirst for digital content and are accustomed to flicking between applications on a screen, which is something that e-books can capitalise on to make the learning experience richer for children.

"Although no-one would like print books to be fully replaced by e-books, the digitisation of text is inevitable. Immediacy of information is something that children are accustomed to and digital content is a more appropriate reflection of their world so presenting information in this format could encourage children to learn more.

"Children can go on a learning journey far more easily with e-books than they can with print. Reading e-books with hyperlinks in the text provides a springboard into the world wide web so that children can explore topics that interest them and further their knowledge, making learning a much more interactive and enjoyable experience for them."

It may seem like a cost effective and more convenient way of learning but it can also put pupils from poorer backgrounds at a disadvantage, as they are less likely to have access to the internet or a home computer.

The British government recognises that computers are vital in education. Children with unemployed parents or low-income families will, from the autumn, begin receiving free computers and broadband access in an attempt to close the gap between them and wealthier classmates.

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s plan to give high-school students in California free access to free science and maths digital textbooks will begin from September. In the second phase, the programme would be extended to other grades and subjects.

If introduced in Britain, it is likely to prove more popular with students than teachers.

David Whyley (ex- Primary Headteacher), Learning Technologies' Headteacher Consultant for the City of Wolverhampton, told Tutors Directory "In our experience in Wolverhampton the use of e-books has been a pathway into learning for many young people. In many cases it has led to an appreciation of real books that they would never have dreamt of picking up. Young people are used to using the internet and digital media as their first port of call of learning. Grown-ups in the education sector and the publishing world need to wake up to this fact and use it to the benefit of raising standards and improving life opportunities for the young people who are in school now (not for those in school in the fifties and sixties)."

Ray Barker, Director of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) doesn’t believe it should be a debate about 'books versus software' and says "we should look at how a wider selection of both traditional and non-traditional resources become essential tools for educators and how they can enrich learning."