Steve Syre

South Pacific -- he's he's -- he's busting my chops to go play in the good Broadway music paid by the way we're a little reminder. You wanna have to participate in -- caption contest -- go to wrko.com. Tom and Todd page. Scroll down you'll find the caption give us beyond. By the photo image -- now. You can be in. Great position to win a fabulous prizes from all the folks that they have succeeded W I feel better as a lot of fun I love doing that caption contest each and every week coach. So we'll make sure we keep that one don't make sure that.

I remind the listeners spic and -- analysts and as they need no reminder that every day at this time. We do the Boston business report with the Boston Globe Steve Siad he has an interesting. Story to come a far us. It involves Houghton and Mifflin Harcourt one of the oldest publishers and United States in their local groups they tell us what's going on what the big company this.

I guys talking to put it is very much got an old time Boston company that's been up mostly in the textbook publishing. Business for ages and they are coming out with a big big deal the biggest deal ever in their history this morning which is forty million dollar contract -- And that -- forty million and a very big number with the city of Detroit. And that it didn't hear is that although there are some textbooks involved. -- majority of the of the money involved and the products involved. To be delivered over a period of years. Aren't textbooks but -- computer based products software and things to basically help kids. Learn the same types of information and it's essentially -- digital media also helped. Teachers and students interact and school administrators as well and this has a big shift in the text well. Publishing industry and can also just generally need the education world as it relates to. What has been forever in our world certainly nor. Like times printed material.

Is this the beginning of the end for the book and the textbook in terms schools.

I think they'll be. Textbooks for a long time to come but I think they're radically being phased out it's. You know casting your everyday life when you read books but also do things online and it's. Just over and over again you if you run into that practical. Advantage of the online world of being able to interact with things and in that -- customized. To some degree what you're doing and -- it it's obvious what a huge advantage that could be -- learn it in any kind of learning setting but particularly. The one is that traditionally have been textbook base.

Imagine seizures can get data back if kids are reading online and get reports back on what they're reading. Which words they're looking up for a dictionary help. And if the source help or whatever there's all kinds of -- and then there's the interactive opportunity.

Absolutely don't a place like quote no one has. 2000 textbooks that they publish. Every one of them is available -- a digital. Version but it also is just like any kind of other technology business or traditional business that's evolving into technology. What you really need is is we got a platform of some -- some big. Basic software level that helps everybody make it work. And Houghton Mifflin has something called burning villages that's really that's. The backbone of what we're talking about here it's. Sort of a bridge that helps schools system student teacher is. Use these different should textbooks digital versions of them and make them work and exactly kind of setting you talk.

Steve's irony indication of the size of the market forty million bucks is a big deal but that's only Detroit. And then secondly. It is this real world does require a school systems systems to provide laptops to every student. In order that the this new thing can be fully -- utilized.

Well good yeah obviously that's an issue about whether every student has a computer not and also one of the reasons that DOD old fashioned textbook they ultimately is a pretty good backstop as well. You know it's it's a good question about this providing. A laptop there.

And I met -- can -- on the Detroit school of Detroit is the most depressed city in the country is did not die of it did the more appropriate story would -- them going out to buy used textbooks from from Boston or some are set -- to buy the latest technology.

We're absolutely out. But I AA bid this issue about availability of computers to -- students this is a big deal there was. DC denizens of the globe wrote in detail about this today talked about at the school system and in California that was in fact. Using stimulus money to to get involved in something like there's so. I don't know exactly it's a good question about the Detroit system exactly how they're addressing the computer. Students situation.

All right -- thank you for other port dangerous and stuff we'll see again tomorrow morning. As always Steve's site coming through with interest and such -- a great story. New is this new regulation and I again I'm in shock over Detroit spanning forty million dollars for some. Playing newfangled computer interactive thing to teach kids who don't have electricity fouls -- Talk radio -- per.