What is a textbook?

Today I was substitute teaching for a third grade class that had two teachers, and today was treat day.

"The kids have worked hard all year and today is just for fun." the other teacher said. We played games, then watched the movie "Chicken Little" then after lunch we had a "bubble festival." Six stations were set up by four mother volunteers and each station had different experiments for the kids. They love it. Then the kids went to their "special" which was a computer class.

This is when if got interesting. While cleaning-up the teacher and the mothers were talking about a meeting the parents had with the school board the other day. Starting next year the 4th, 5th and 6th grade social study teachers are only getting one set of textbooks for each classroom. Not each class-each classroom. The books are never to be taken home. It seem that they want the student to do all their homework research on the internet, the in-class books will be used only as sublimated information.

The question is: Is this generation going to loose its ability to learn from books? Will the computer be their only way of learning? And is this a good Idea?