Inside Technology: Digital Textbook Push

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are challenging educators and technology companies to get digital textbooks into the hands of all students in five years.

To do so, the government officials say, several obstacles must be overcome: antiquated state procurement rules, lack of device and content interoperability, and connectivity costs.

"We all win if the players in the digital learning ecosystem—including publishers, device manufacturers, platform providers, internet service providers, schools—work together to accelerate the adoption of digital textbooks We all win if the players in the digital learning ecosystem—including publishers, device manufacturers, platform providers, Internet service providers, schools—work together to accelerate the adoption of digital textbooks," Genachowski says.

The FCC has created a "Digital Textbook Playbook," a blueprint to help schools make the transition to digital learning. Genachowski and Duncan plan to meet with education leaders, state officials, and nonprofit organizations to encourage the national adoption of digital textbooks.