Physics textbooks in Va. can be updated online

Va. textbooks updated online Web-based physics curriculum touted by officials, educators

Physics textbooks in some Virginia public schools are so outdated that instruction on the physics of television does not include LCD or plasma technologies and stops with the cathode ray tube.

Similarly, advances in nanotechnology, particle physics and dark matter fall into an educational black hole in some textbooks, which can take years to replace and update.

Enter the "21st Century Physics Flexbook" -- a free, Web-based physics curriculum that educators throughout Virginia can access online to supplement the sometimes outdated textbook instruction on the subject. State officials and educators gathered yesterday at the state Capitol to launch the new product.

It's not that the laws of gravity have changed. But the Flexbook -- dubbed "A Compilation of Contemporary and Emerging Technologies" -- was conceived as a way of making available current teaching and knowledge of the physical principles upon which the universe operates.

Flexbook editor and project manager James Batterson, a former teacher and retired NASA engineer, said current physics curriculum is "severely dated to the mid-20th century."

He was among a 13-member team of college professors, industry professionals and high school teachers who collaborated for four months to produce a 10-chapter online manual.

Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra forged a partnership with the California-based CK-12 Foundation, which provided for free the open-content technology that allowed publication online.

"Why are we paying money for content that should be free?" asked Neeru Khosla, of the CK-12 foundation. Virginia spends roughly $80 million annually on textbook purchases for kindergarten through 12th grade.

Virginia Education Secretary Thomas Morris said the Flexbook concept is another way to help teachers stay current in their subjects. Chopra said roughly 200 educators have expressed interest in the new resource.

Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or .