Whether tablets should replace textbooks in the classroom

[Omma]

My 8th grade dd is taking a Current Events class and I am to help guide her to find an article that debates both sides of the following issue:  Whether tablets should replace textbooks in the classroom. 

 

Being that I am 'sicker than a dog' right now, I thought I would ask the Hive to help me find some good article links that I can print out:  one that supports the affirmative of this issue and one that supports the negative position. 

 

Thank you!

 

Brenda

[wapiti]

I suppose there must be some articles out there someplace.  But, textbooks in e-format are typically the same as the hardcopy, just a little different to navigate through, by clicking through the table of contents rather than flipping pages.  I wouldn't expect to find much on this specific question though there may be something on tablets more generally, which would hopefully include notetaking and such.

[Omma]

I agree that this topic seems to be not so current as it used to be.  And my dd wants to avoid Procon.org in lieu of a 'real' article.  Sigh...  Keep the ideas coming, if you can.  Heigh Ho, thanks for trying to help!  :) 

 

 

[Excelsior! Academy]

I don't like it.  No real articles to back it up, I guess I'm just "old school."

[purduemeche]

Not an article per se, but Technopoly by Neil Postman is quite prolific on the general topic, out of which the technological arms race in education flows.

 

 

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[Omma]

Thanks, everyone.  I think I'm all set.  I never would have found the Technopoly resource on my own, that's for sure, and it is quite interesting!  :driving:

[BooksandBoys]

A significant contribution to my ability to remember information is related to sense memory, that is, where on the page the information was located and where in the book as well (not page number, but general appearance of the book, how thick the left vs right sides were). Furthermore, it is essential for good understanding that one be able to refer to previous concepts to verify info when encountering new info. To that end, I hate etexts. Maybe it's me and the next generation will miraculously remember everything they read, or always know what needs to be highlighted before even encountering the future information, or search functions will become quick and easy (not like on a kindle now), but I don't think so. I think etexts provide inferior learning.

[BooksandBoys]

Not an article per se, but Technopoly by Neil Postman is quite prolific on the general topic, out of which the technological arms race in education flows.

 

I was unaware that he had written a new book. Thanks for sharing.

 

 

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[LaughingCat]

A significant contribution to my ability to remember information is related to sense memory, that is, where on the page the information was located and where in the book as well (not page number, but general appearance of the book, how thick the left vs right sides were). Furthermore, it is essential for good understanding that one be able to refer to previous concepts to verify info when encountering new info. To that end, I hate etexts. Maybe it's me and the next generation will miraculously remember everything they read, or always know what needs to be highlighted before even encountering the future information, or search functions will become quick and easy (not like on a kindle now), but I don't think so. I think etexts provide inferior learning.

Yes, I agree that the sense of 'where' in the book is lost -- and the ability to 'flip' through the pages is also key for me -- even when reading general non-fiction, and that much more so when reading a text for a class. 

(as an aside -- this also drives me crazy regarding 'shelving'  -- the lost sense of where [on the shelf] the book is)

[Bookworm4]

I would expect that you may find some articles written by optometrists or vision therapists that would argue that a textbook is better than a tablet (that is based solely on conversations I had with a local vision therapist and I have not researched this myself). 

[spudboy]

A tablet doesn't directly replace a book.  You need some material to put on it. The terms for using a digital copy of a book are often different from using a printed copy.  Does the e-book belong to the school, or is it a service that the school subscribes to?  Librarians think about this kind of thing a lot.  Some discussion: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/06/22/part-1-an-introduction-to-the-issues-surrounding-libraries-and-e-books/(Wishing OP's daughter much success on the assignment, just adding the link in case others are interested.  Yes, I still put in library book requests for paper book only.)

[JenneinCA]

I like ebooks even for textbooks because I can adjust the font size to be something comfortable to read.

 

I do remember where things are on pages from back when I had hard copy books and I liked flipping through the books and finding interesting things. But the overwhelming need for me right now is font size. If I can have it in ebook I will. My Japanese textbooks are hard copy and the print, especially the kanji, is so small I am having real issues trying to even see what is on the page. I would be so grateful for an ebook copy that I could get the font size larger...