时间:2018-12-07 作者:英语课 分类:VOA慢速英语2009年(八)月


英语课

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.


California has a new program called the Digital Textbook Initiative.


ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: "Starting this fall with high school math and science, we will be the first state in the nation -- the first state in the nation -- to provide schools with a state-approved list of digital textbooks."


That was Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in June, talking about his effort to get schools to use materials available free online. He listed reasons why he thinks digital textbooks make sense.
 
About 2,000 California school employees march in San Jose on August 5 to protest state budget cuts, in a California School Employees Association photo


California approves traditional textbooks in six-year cycles. Digital ones can offer the latest information. They lighten the load of school bags. They save paper and trees, and make learning more fun and interactive 1. And lastly he said they help schools with their finances.


The state has had to make severe cuts in school spending because of deep financial problems. More than six million students attend California public schools.


Earlier this year, California invited content developers to offer digital math and science materials for high schools. These had to meet at least ninety percent of the state's learning requirements. Specially 2 trained teachers examined sixteen textbooks and approved ten of them.


Six of the ten were published by the CK12 Foundation. Co-founder Neeru Khosla says the nonprofit group had been developing digital science and math books for about two years. The foundation paid teachers and other education professionals to write and edit them. The money came from a group financed by the Khosla family. The AMAR Foundation also supports projects in India.


California cannot require schools to use the digital textbooks. Individual school districts will have to decide for themselves.


Susan Martimo, a California Department of Education official, says she does not expect widespread use right away. Her best guess is that some schools with a lot of technology will be the first to use them, but only in addition to their traditional books.


School administrators 3 point out that the texts may be free online, but students need a way to access them. Not everyone has a computer or electronic reader. Schools could print out copies, but that would not help the environment. Also, there is the cost to train teachers to use digital textbooks effectively.


Next week: a look at digital textbooks in college. And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can find transcripts 4 and podcasts of our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.



1 interactive
adj.相互作用的,互相影响的,(电脑)交互的
  • The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
  • This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。
2 specially
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
3 administrators
n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 );有管理(或行政)才能的人;(由遗嘱检验法庭指定的)遗产管理人;奉派暂管主教教区的牧师
  • He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员,但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
  • Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
4 transcripts
n.抄本( transcript的名词复数 );转写本;文字本;副本
  • Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样,都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
  • You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书,你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句
学英语单词
accola
agrarianizes
aircured
Alexandroff compactification
anantherate
anti-isomorphic algebra
aplastic anaemias
appropriate public authority
atopic dermatitis
bates's feed
benignant
binitarianism
blocker bet
blue-speakers
border effect
buncher of particles
cam block
carmovirus carnation mottle virus
cavenger jig
cephalophragma
class character
coercive isomorphism
comprehensive case
database diagnostics
decade box
declaringly
deodand
dog tied up
dummy treatment
eventualist
expansion-ring
F-actinF
filtration underground
frothed latex
fuzzy production system
Fëdora I Aleksandra, Ostrova
hansen-woodyard end-fire linear array
heatabsorbent surface
incrementor
integrated services network
intensity grid
korbonski
laicity
laser fusion experimental device
leaded zinc
leapfroging
lumber-rooms
Lyon King of Arms
magnetic belt
marakkanam (merkanam)
Microula forrestii
mining area communication
mohorita
munchable
nitroaromatics
No rose without a thorn
no-load jet
number-theoretical method
olsens
PCOP
pen culture
physical geomorphology
phytocoenoecology
pin-fire
potter oscillator
preferential attack
present speed
produ wood
promotion
protonatable
pump noise monitor
puppily
Qinling Mountains
raisining
red deadnettle
reduced form disturbance
register,arithmetic and logic unit
release connection
retroactive inference
rich-bound
salahaddin
salicylic acid filter
shamas
simulated interview
skeleton key
slattings
SSL certificate
St Mary Pk.
steam gauge stand
stockroom
sulisobenzone
tangerine trees
Teviot
Therems
throw yourself at sb
tongue and groove labyrinth
trigonum dorsale
triphenyl tetrazolium chloride method
turbo-alternators
ungallantry
universal rolling mill
wet dust extraction