Should Print Textbooks Be Replaced by eBooks on Tablets?

sometimes computers go off & don't work so well, but textbooks have no problems

lol no, then they'll just play on the apps all day.

that way you can always have the most up-to-date version of the text available!

I never liked packing over 50 pounds of books to school and back. It gave a bunch of my classmates back problems. Think of the children.

NEVER!

Who is going to pay for the electronic equipment for the ebooks? Parents already have to pay enough to send their kids to school. The free education we used to have in this country has gotten quite expensive.

You obviously have no idea what textbooks cost today. A single science text can be more than $75. And students do not respect them and many must be replaced every year. In the long run, it would save districts money. One e reader could be loaded with all the texts for the year and be used the following years, as well.

And the price of free education goes up once again. Make the school districts more responsible and held accountable for the monies they recieve to provide the supplies that are needed.
I may not know the price of a lot of books, but I do know that there are parents who can barely afford to feed their children and are still expected to pay for school supplies, which are paid for by the state out of tax dollars.

I agree that school supplies are a huge burden on poor families. I think school districts should pay for e readers if they decide to go that way. It would save them money in the long run. If students were issued IPads, they would not need so many notebooks, pens, pencils, paper, etc. Even graphing calculator apps can be uploaded to IPads.

its not nessesary for someone to be able to afford to buy a tablet

So for those who say no then should we go back to using clay tablets?

Dont want to carry some 60 pounds everyday to school. or didnt.. should I say

Y not?

It's really hard to say.. looking at bright screens can not be good for our eyes... We don't have enough data to say it won't affect our eyesight, since this is the first time we've ever had computer screens so saturated in the world. Sometimes people report a negative reaction to them.

The cost of textbooks are outrageous! Besides, they're obsolete by the time they're printed!

I wouldn't want to see the printed word become extinct, but tablets and e-books can be a good tool.

We may not always be able to use technology, but we should always have something tangible to fall back on for communication.

I think that tablets should be installed on the desks in the classrooms so there is no fear of them being lost, stolen, or damaged, or the teacher can have the digital version on the projector for all to see when they have to read sections together in class. The books should also be accessible online from home. For those who don't have computers, they can be issued 'real' books at registration.

My son & I used the electronic copy of all of his textbooks last year so he would not need to cart them back & forth between my house & his dads. It was nice not having to worry about forgetting to pack one of the heavy books & it was great for him to not have to carry 3 large books for two days out of the week or if he forgot one somewhere he can still do the homework & not fall behind.

Plus, this would save millions of dollars for schools. On average, each school spends about $70k per year on textbooks; that's over $250k every four years when new issues come out & have to be purchased. That money can be better spent on repair needs, upgrades for schools, adding staff, or saving teachers jobs!

I really like printed books.

eBooks or better, apps on a tablet offer far more possibilities. You can prevent students from scribbling answers in the margins, or flipping to the back to check them before they try to answer themselves, etc. You can offer interactive guidance and adapt to the learning style and speed of the student.

Whatever happened to good 'ol books? Technology seeks to ruin every good thing. Pretty soon a child won't even know what a book is, how it feels, what it smells like.

Yeah, it's just like those dang horseless carriages that ruined my commute too! I miss the smell of horse farts. And now it's getting harder and harder to get your literature printed on a pulverized dead tree. While we're at it let's bring back the scroll - flipping pages is for sissies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Things change, get used to it, it will happen again.

I think we should go back to horse carriage days. But that's not even the point.

This is 1 out of the hundreds of reasons I could think of that my kids will be home schooled.

On one side the students wouldnt have to carry around so much weight, but on the other hand there are students that are not responsible enough to have one and use it properly.

It will have to be implemented very slowly!

I'm against ereaders taking over the world. Plus, it would take long to turn to the lesson.

With so much high tech in the world, today, let's keep original things at the same time such as textbooks.

nothing feels like a real book..

I can see the advantage of e-books for older more responsible young people. Additionally, the cost of printed text books is sky rocketing. E-books just might be less expensive in the long run for the tax payers who finance "free" education.
[W3]

OK merely for the reasons of convenience i would choose the tech here. Updating text books imagine all that paper. and honestly highschool students these days get it real bad, i've been in a case where i had a freaking 20 pound weight on my back, it isn't funny. But despite that, i dont think anything can beat holding an old fashion book, then again most people don't read.... it's sad.... books are a fantastic thing, but i'll stop ehre before i go on a book tirade.

NO, BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE TO BUY THE DEVICES FOR HALF THE KIDS

What if the schools merely provided them and asked for a deposit fee? would that work out to your needs?

I agree with most people that the kids would just trash them (on my second Kindle already because of that) but, the amount of paper that is pretty much wasted at school's is amazing. Each of my kids come home with at least five to ten sheets of paper each day. My 11-year-old just said the other day, "If trees make oxygen and paper comes from trees... then school is killing us.". I know she was being sarcastic but, she has a point.

Well, when you get an ebook, you can highlight more things, have an easier time dealing with the text, you have a dictionary feature so you can look words on, and when your done and turn the machine off, it'll still be on the page. I think they are okay for classes like history, English, Science, ect but not good for others

Yes! I've been pitching this idea to my school for like a year! It'll save money and paper.

I don't think you need to convert every book to e status. I do like the accessability of e books, but textbooks should be e material. It is the future of education techniques. There will always be some books that will require actual paper, but the bulk could be changed. I would also suspect that the cost would come down considerably. The unintended consequence however would be reduction of actual printing.. so there would be loss of jobs. But tell me what business has not been somehow impacted by technology?

If people really want to "go green" they'll eliminate text books. I mean, seriously, it would save a ton of paper, not to mention money, both for the schools and the students, especially in college.

People learn by different methods, by reading, doing or being lectured.

I would be interested to see what role an electronic textbook can fulfill in that regard, or if it can be treated as it's own method all together as we sail through the digital age.

I remember when computers first came on the seen enforce... the main advantage of computers was to cut down on the amount of paperwork generated in business and education. Huh.. right. But now we do have the ability to put a complete text book on a smart drive! Amazing stuff.. why not stop printing books and give each student a Kindle for example. It allows for note taking and bookmarking.. perfect for a class. And at the end of the year, there's nothing to return if it's done right. The only reason I can understand to not do such is due to financial restraints. But how much is wasted on buying new text books each year? It's there... just got to embrace the change.

The price of textbooks are out of sight. If the school districts would go to eBooks then they would spend less money on books and would be able to update more often. There is nothing more ignorant than picking up a history book and George W or even Bill Clinton is president. That being said though, students would need to have access to the eBooks at all times and that means broadband at home. This is not available in all districts. So maybe money should be spent on infrastructure? Duh?