That's what Governor Schwarzenegger wants.
It's nonsensical — and expensive — to look to traditional hard-bound books when information today is so readily available in electronic form. Especially now, when our school districts are strapped for cash and our state budget deficit is forcing further cuts to classrooms, we must do everything we can to untie educators' hands and free up dollars so that schools can do more with fewer resources.
We're seeing an interesting shift here where the digital is now seen as more efficient than the textbooks. That's a key shift in perception because conservatives now have an argument from which they can support such broad digital transitions, as we see the Governor doing in this article. You look at the healthcare debate for instance, where digital records are guaranteed to be a big part of this package. Because it is being sold as an efficiency in the healthcare system, no conservatives are voicing strong opposition to it and many support that aspect of reform. We could well see the same thing in education where digital becomes equated with efficiency.
For a long time digital advocates have been trying to sell the digital transition on the basis of global competition, job readiness, student receptivity, and a bunch of other very good arguments - which you can see summed up in great videos like the one Scott McLeod helped produce. But efficiency ... well, that argument sells itself. I don't need a great video to sell someone if the digital is seen as the cheaper option - what I need is an economist to total the savings and testify in front of the subcommittees and we can get whatever digital transition we want.