IT and Education: Israel plans to digitize all textbooks

In five years all textbooks in Israel will be converted in digital format. Tens of different books in the pupil’s backpack will be replaced by a single e-reader or a tablet PC.

On Tuesday, July 19, the program of the Ministry of Education will go on the agenda at the meeting of Parliamentary Commission for Science. Maariv newspaper reads that authors of the program propose to oblige publishers to issue paperback textbooks along with their digital counterparts. The cost of the digital textbook will make 60% of the value of the paperback edition.

The Ministry of Education also considers that pupils should be given a choice whether to buy the whole textbook at once, or buy its separate chapters.

Textbooks will be available in several versions: in "simple" pdf-format which would enable to launch search by the text, copy separate words. Such a textbook may also contain various interactive links available in case the e-reader has Internet access. In addition, there will be interactive textbooks designed to run on powerful tablets.

It is worth mentioning that for a convenient pdf reading you need the e-reader with a 9-inch display. Such a reader is far more expensive than an ordinary set of textbooks. The newspaper does not mention if the Ministry of Education would subsidize the purchase of e-readers for pupils.