Should Print Textbooks Be Replaced by eBooks on Tablets?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2012/07/27 20:48:25

Related Topics: Ebooks, Tablets, School, Back To School, Teachers, students, School Subjects, English, Math, Science, History, P.E.

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	Yes, that's what technology is for!	753 votes	31%
	No, printed books are more appropriate for students.	820 votes	34%
	Maybe in some classrooms, but not all.	862 votes	35%

Is it just us or did summer swing by faster than usual this time around? With August just around the corner, "Back to School" is the thing on everyone's mind. Well, if you're a student, parent or teacher at least.

It's almost time to swap bathing suits for books. And while you don't have to complete any tests or do any homework quite yet, we think now's the optimal time to get your mind juices flowing with our quick, 8-Question "Back to School" Survey. Don't worry: No matter the answer, we'll give you an "A+" anyway.

+28

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MercuryZero 2012/07/28 07:40:15

No, printed books are more appropriate for students.

+9
Technology may be more advanced but they aren't guaranteed to work all the time. You drop a textbook, no big deal. You drop a tablet...well you get the picture.

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More polls by SodaHead Living

Heisenberg 2012/07/28 22:24:32

Yes, that's what technology is for!

+1
Yes, in fact I think this can cut down on costs and make kids more computer literate.

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Gib 2012/07/28 22:21:52

Yes, that's what technology is for!

+1
Then there would be no heavy backpacks!!!!!! :D

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Cordingly 2012/07/28 21:28:13

Maybe in some classrooms, but not all.

+3
If it would actually reduce the cost of books, I'd be all for it.

Of course, I'm talking in terms of college books.

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Miesha 2012/07/28 21:25:32

Yes, that's what technology is for!

+4
My school recently adopted laptops and ebooks. I LOVE IT!!!! No carrying a 40lb backpacks pack with books everyday. No more wondering what the homework was since its posted online. No more trying to figure ot what page those note where on since its all typed out. ITS AMAZING!!

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valeria.casey.9 2012/07/28 21:11:49

No, printed books are more appropriate for students.

+1
If GOD stomps his foot and is as tired of the world wars and bull sh-t we wont have electricity telephones "HAIR DRYERS OMG!!!" and generaly all comon conviences WHERE WILL BOOKS BE .DO YA THINK THAT MAY BE THE REASON UNWRITEN PRE HISTORY IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE?????? THE PYRAMIDS ARE FULL OD WRITEN WORDS NOBODY CAN READ ...... THIMk stupid . I am SURE I will get a lot of flack about my comment but I'm 70 and went to school before notebooks and am very literate without being savy to all the new stuff I can even get 11 words a minute with one finger!!!! GUESS WHICH ONE ??

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Man_Bear_Pig 2012/07/28 20:54:30

Maybe in some classrooms, but not all.

+2
Not yet but eventually yes.

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Sterling 2012/07/28 20:36:52

Yes, that's what technology is for!

+3
They should all be digitally produced so you can have the option of having them on a tablet that the student owns. It would be practical since most kids will have a tablet soon anyways and it will be MUCH better for kids backs than hauling around 20 pounds worth of books.

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Cordingly to Sterling 2012/07/28 21:29:21

+2
A second copy option would be fantastic.

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Sterling to Cordingly 2012/07/28 21:34:27

Exactly. Everything that is produced in paperback from now on should basically be produced in digital copy. It's really not hard since nobody is using typewriters anymore anyways.

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DizziNY 2012/07/28 20:33:13 (edited)

No, printed books are more appropriate for students.

+3

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flyingseaturtle BN 2012/07/28 20:24:32

Maybe in some classrooms, but not all.

+2
Text books are cheaper and less likely to break when dropped.
eBooks can have more than one subject on them and can be updated.

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Cordingly to flyings... 2012/07/28 21:30:28

+2
True, I keep thinking from the perspective of someone who supports a college student, where after you've bought five books you've essentially paid the price of a decent E-reader.

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flyings... to Cordingly 2012/07/28 21:35:56

+1
Good point ;-)

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PokerFace 2012/07/28 20:06:31

No, printed books are more appropriate for students.

+1
i don't like leaving the printed books behind, i don't want them to become history

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JohnT 2012/07/28 19:59:15

Maybe in some classrooms, but not all.

+2
Too many variables. I think High school the children are approaching maturity and are becoming young adults which more likely to take care of them better.

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hayley 2012/07/28 19:32:30

Yes, that's what technology is for!

+2
would actually save money and students wont have to carry heavy bags around all day

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jere.chievres 2012/07/28 19:32:01

No, printed books are more appropriate for students.

+1
Never

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TasselLady 2012/07/28 19:19:13

Maybe in some classrooms, but not all.

+2
Let's not get it for all classes.

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sjalan 2012/07/28 19:14:54

Yes, that's what technology is for!

+4
ONLY IF THE TEXTS OF THE eBOOKS ARE ACCURATE AND NOT MESSED WITH LIKE THE TEXAS BOARD OF EDUCATON'S SUBCOMMITTEE HAS DONE TO THEIR HISTORY TEXT BOOKS.

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dale.la... to sjalan 2012/07/29 19:55:49

+2
Agreed 100%

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Carol 2012/07/28 18:58:12

Maybe in some classrooms, but not all.

+2
With a son in high school ,I've often thought it'd be better if his books were ebooks. (some of them were through his previous school) I think your English, Lit, History, and Government books should be ebooks. Math and Science, probably not.
I have taught him both in the past. We often would have several pages tabbed which we flipped between during lessons. It would be a bit of a hassle doing that with an ebook. At least, not for my son. People learn differently and other kids would probably be fine.

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PoliticallyIncorrect 2012/07/28 18:50:30

Yes, that's what technology is for!

+4
We have students with back problems and we have a country going bald from the destruction of forests. For anyone who says we should maintain regular books, just be responsible for distribution/maintenance/coll... of high school textbooks for one year. You would very quickly find out how much user friendly an eBook is to the students. Technology is their world, not yours for the most part. They are comfortable with technology and the students I know would be thrilled to have all their books on one reader. As for damage, how many times does a kid damage a cell phone? For a few bucks they could probably get a damage warranty anyway.

Older generations are the ones who use their own biases to deny youth their opportunities to do things their way.

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Anonymo... to Politic... 2012/07/28 23:26:48

Yes technology is our world, but I for one prefer to use a physical textbook, save the technology for other areas... I don't find eBooks or laptops user friendly at all...

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Politic... to Anonymo... 2012/07/29 03:22:54

+1
How old are you?

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Anonymo... to Politic... 2012/07/29 11:16:15

16. I love technology and are always using it, but laptops drive me mad and eBooks don't compare to actual books.

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Politic... to Anonymo... 2012/07/29 13:33:30

+1
How do you carry them around? Our girls are having problems with them and they don't have time to keep going back to their lockers to change them out. What do you think your parents would say to classroom sets? Do they want you carrying them home? That's the major complaint when we use classroom sets.

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Anonymo... to Politic... 2012/07/29 19:04:23

We don't carry them round - each department has a big stack of books that they use for all the lessons, and they stay in the classrooms to use whenever we need them. The only ones we had to take home were thin ones.

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Politic... to Anonymo... 2012/07/30 03:03:25

+1
Sounds good, but we have big books and lockers. It doesn't lend itself to ease of movement and use.

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Anonymo... to Politic... 2012/07/30 09:17:44

Do what we do then. It doesn't help anyone to have to carry them all, leave them in the class.

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Politic... to Anonymo... 2012/07/30 21:38:36

+1
The problem I have is the parents who are not accepting the classroom set scenario with some among the students getting to take one home.

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Anonymo... to Politic... 2012/07/30 21:54:06

What is this Classroom Set Scenario?

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Politic... to Anonymo... 2012/08/01 03:11:58

+1
Teacher keeps enough books to give one to each student when they come into her class. They are collected and used in all the other classes, but no book is assigned to a student to take home.

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Anonymo... to Politic... 2012/08/01 13:49:01

And why would anyone have a problem with that?

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Politic... to Anonymo... 2012/08/01 20:50:44

+1
The parents go ballistic about their children having a book in hand.

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Anonymo... to Politic... 2012/08/01 21:16:13

Why?

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Politic... to Anonymo... 2012/08/02 02:20:51

+1
It's always ... I want to see the book and make sure he/she does homework, or I can't see to help if there's a problem.
Then there's "I'm a taxpayer and my child deserves a book"... There are many reasons, but I think the major one revolves around old school. When the parents were kids, they had a book for their courses and they think their kids need to have those books.

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Anonymo... to Politic... 2012/08/02 08:01:31

You do homework in the books? We have homework planners and it's usually looking up info and writing a paragraph or two about a subject, finishing work or revision, and our parents check the planners to make sure we've done it... But the taxpayer one's ridiculous, maybe if you pay more your child can have a book...

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Politic... to Anonymo... 2012/08/02 20:21:54

+1
That's the mindset anyway. Yes, they do homework in books, but older folks generally are more comfortable with books.

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Lil 2012/07/28 18:33:16

Maybe in some classrooms, but not all.

+2
If you really think about it, it would be cheaper but don't use them in any place under sixth grade.

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Firefly 2012/07/28 18:32:32

No, printed books are more appropriate for students.

+5
I can't say that printed books are more appropriate, BUT

Not every student has, nor WISHES to have ' techno-gadgets '...

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