R.I. legislative panel to study e-learning

PROVIDENCE – A joint resolution approved by the General Assembly this session will create a commission to study the possibility of bringing electronic learning tools to the Rhode Island classrooms.
This resolution – sponsored by Sen. Edward J. O’Neill, D-Lincoln, and Rep. Mary Ann Shallcross Smith, D-Lincoln – aims to see e-books are an effective way to combat the rising cost of textbooks.
With the cost of textbooks rapidly accelerating, the General Assembly is starting the process to understand if paperless classrooms would be a viable, cost-efficient move for schools. The commission will look at the advantages and disadvantages of the “paperless classroom,” alongside issues of cost.
E-books would allow students to download lessons, read the material and hand in assignments work to be graded and returned to them, all electronically.
The commission will be made up of 15 members, including three members each of the Senate and House of Representatives, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, the president of the Rhode Island Association of School Superintendents, the president of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, the president of the National Education Association Rhode Island, the president of the American Federation of Teachers Rhode Island and four private citizens.
The commission is expected to report back to the General Assembly by March 2011.
While primarily focusing on the use of electronic media in classrooms, the commission will also look at the list of texts for public schools and a possible expansion of subjects. The commission will also consider the textbook procurement process and whether it should be centralized under the R.I. Department of Education.