FOUQUET C.LUX L.

PERRIN A.ROGES A.L.

Digital textbooks distribution models: where do they stand ?

Although all models surrounding digital textbooks are still at a testing stage, it appears that some countries, under very specific socio-economical pressure, have seen it as a necessity to move forward. This results in a very heterogeneous landscape in terms of projects advancement.

FRANCE-Global leader regarding open source textbooks in 2009-Approximatively 30000 classes have acces to a digital textbook, displayable on computer.-In 2009 beginning of a 4 years experimentation involving 24 schools (6th grade)-Focus on LMS (Learning Management System), rather than on the devices

RUSSIA-A national experimentation has begun in Sep-tember 2011-5 differents device's models: Aquarius NE410, Pocket Book, ECTACO Jetbook color, Plastic Logic and Entourage Edge. The last one isn't being ruen by the Ministery of Education.-Focus on the devices, rather than the textbook's contents.

Governmental initiativesIndependant initiativesBoth governmental and inde-pendant initiatives

Key

Innovations as the main goal

Driven by social and/or economical

pressure

Global overview: where is it gonna go the distance?

IRELAND-In 2009, an local initiative in Caritas College ( Ballyfermot Dublin). Students recieved, from pu-blisher Gill&Macmillian, the digital Book ILiad

UNITED-STATES-In 2008, Governor A.Schwarzenegger launched in California the Digital Textbooks Initiative, a project that has to evaluate the content of open source digital textbooks, a device to be used in all CK-12 schools in the state, ($400 million in sa-vings.)-Students have seen the price of textbooks sky-rocketing in the past few years. Agreements between universities and publisher should give the students access to low-cost digital textbooks.

SOUTH KOREA-By topping the ITU 2011 report and the PISA 2009 survey, South Korea established itself one of the world most advanced country in terms of ICT use.-Still struggles with an overgrown, competition-fed private tutoring market that widens the edu-cational gap between high and low incomes.-Digital textbooks are seen as a way to provide every student the ability to learn from anywhere at anytime , making private tutoring less of a ne-cessity.-Positive results from extended surveys conduc-ted on pilot schools until 2010 have convinced the government to invest almost $2 billion into the project by 2015.

Systematic digitalization of content is certainly what characterizes the most today's information based society. In this context, extending this trend to education by exchanging current textbooks for more dynamic and interactive ones, just seems like the naturel next step.

JAPAN-Only local tests-Digital textbooks on cell phone, in particular on Smartphone-Distribution of 500 Smartphone to students of "Renaissance Academy"

But switching from paper to electronic devices isn't something that can be done by the book. Dematerialization implies important changes in the text-book economy and raises concern about associated distribution patterns.