Florida High School Plans To Replace Textbooks With E-Readers Next Year

The St. Petersburg Times (6/2, Catalanello) reports that next year, Clearwater High School in Pinellas county, Florida, "will replace traditional textbooks with e-readers." Currently, "school officials are negotiating with Amazon Kindle to try to equip all 2,100 students with the 10-ounce devices this fall." Teachers have already been issued e-readers. "Principal Keith Mastorides said he was inspired to make the switch earlier this school year after campus surveys revealed a desire to integrate more technology with classroom instruction." While some schools nationwide "have used e-readers," most have done so "on a per class basis." According the school district's assistant superintendent for management information systems, John Just, "Kindle officials told the district that no other high school had embarked on" an effort like Clearwater's.