Skynet, Cyberspace – California governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to consign schoolbooks to history in favor of digital alternatives.
Schwarzenegger, battling a budget deficit of $24 billion, says that last year, California spent $350m on school textbooks and reckons that ebooks will be far cheaper than regular paper ones.
“It’s nonsensical and expensive to look to traditional hard-bound books when information today is so readily available in electronic form,” says Schwarzenegger. “Especially now, when our school districts are strapped for cash and our budget deficit is forcing further cuts in classrooms, we must do everything we can to untie educators’ hands and free up dollars so that schools can do more with fewer resources.”
“Basically kids are feeling as comfortable with electronic devices as I was with phased plasma rifles in the 40 Watt range and crayons. Textbooks are outdated in my opinion. For so many years, we’ve been trying to teach the kids exactly the same way. I need your clothes and motorcycle,” he may have added.
But some teachers expressed concern that the plan was ill-conceived. One told local TV station KGET:
“I would say out of a class of 30, maybe 10 or less has a computer at home. The governor hasn’t given many details about the program, but so far the digital addition isn’t looking like a subtraction for California’s budget.”
