Removing paper textbooks from the classroom - thoughts?
I've thought for a while now that a great solution to the absurd cost of physical textbooks would be to include an iPad or Kindle with student tuition and load it with ebook versions of all of their textbooks for their given program. This should be done at a fraction of the cost of traditional printed textbooks.
I am currently taking on line courses and that is exactly what is done. Saves money, time, and trees. I think it will take time as we still have learners that prefer paper but they never have to worry about leaving their books at home.
Or you can use your phone with an app like Kindle to load textbooks to your phone.
David,
It should be, but that is not always the case. Many ebooks cost nearly the same amount as the printed text. We have not adopted ebooks where I work, but it is an option at my sons school and rarely is there a significant savings. Hopefully this will change in the future.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I have had to purchase and eBook for two of my classes. I honestly must say that I still prefer a printed textbook. In my profession I am on the computer for several hours. At night I would be on the computer again to do my homework. I began to suffer physically. My neck began to hurt and my vision became blurry. I hope education gives the student the option of purchasing an e-book or printed text book.
Theresa,
Sometimes there is just no substitution. Although I embrace technology, I still purchase printed books when I read for pleasure. After a long day in front of a computer, it is nice to curl up on the couch and read a good book!
Best,
Theresa Schmitt
I believe there's something solid about holding a book in your hand. You can't hilight a kindle. i think it's too easy to go from reading the chapter to Facebook...I'm old school and I like textbooks and workbooks.
Hi David: I like that idea a lot! My niece had an iPad that was used in her 8th grade science class---each student had one IN the classroom to work with and then left it at the end of the class. This of course was a better option for school-aged children who lose things and/or often break things.
When I went to undergraduate college---back in the OLD days---(AKA the mid 1980's) one school---Dartmouth---was cutting edge and had each student purchase, at a deep discount, an Apple computer. That was revolutionary and people thought it was absurd. Who knew how ahead of the curve they were!
So--to me--the idea of a Kindle or iPad, or tablet of some sort for textbooks would be a great idea!
I do not think we should remove the paper textbooks from the classroom. Some students (mainly the older students) still prefer to have a hard copy of what they are studying.
Nannette,
I agree there should be an option. I have found students in their 20s often prefer a paper textbook over ebooks. Although ebooks allow earmarking and the ability to highlight passages, it is difficult to manage the workflow when toggling back and forth between apps, unless users are accessing multiple devices.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Another option for using ebooks is to rent them, several vendors allow this option, you pay for access to the text for a limited time, and it does save money.
As some have said, not all students like the idea of ebooks, so I think that while it should be an option for those who want it, there should also be the ability to have the hard copy of the text for those who want it.
I agree I prefer a printer textbook because I like to highlight important sections of books. Online classes I love because I like the ability to do my schooling from home but I sit all day at the computer and then go home for school and sit on the computer. Having the paper textbook works great for me to get comfortable in living room and read my chapters instead of at the desk in front of the computer. I also get migraines really bad and I know that being on the computer constantly does not help so again the break is nice. However I do feel that the transition is slowly happening and eventually I will have to get eBooks.
The school that I work for is currently in the transition to e-books. I have mixed feelings about this. I am very pro-tech but I am concerned about the opportunity that students have to cheat the system I have had the opportunity to work with one of the very same e-books that we will be using. It was too easy to simply search for the answer without actually reading the text.
This being said, at my school , we give the students ALL of their texts at he beginning of the program. E-books will allow students to have all of their very large textbooks with them at all times.
E-books on a tablet or iPad will also give all students the ability to work in the programs such as google docs while in class as needed.
We have also researched through our school, and found that many publishers offer the option for the student to order a printed copy of the book for a VERY low fee.
I am optimistic for the use of e-books in education!
I as a teacher(older)think that textbooks are great and should never be removed from the classroom.I appreciate modern technology however.
I feel that reading and learning from an actual text book enhances my kinesthetic connection to learning through thumbing though pages and highlighting printed passages. It helps me to picture information by picturing where it appears in the book. Has any research explored how actual text book learning compares to online learning?
