By Carl Azuz, CNN
The Obama Administration recently called for school systems nationwide
toreplace textbooks with e-readers, like iPads, Kindles and Nooks. The
government hopes that the tax dollars set aside for traditional
textbooks will instead be used to purchase electronic devices – and
that every American student will have an e-reader by 2017. The U.S. Department of Education hails technology in the classroom as
beneficial to everything from students’ motivation to their technical
skills to collaboration among peers. Electronic editions of textbooks
would, in theory, be easier to update. It wouldn’t take a new edition
and printing to reflect Pluto’s loss of planetary status, for example;
you’d just download the updated material. But whether this is cost efficient depends on whom you ask (and what
you buy). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a strong
supporter of digital learning, says that America spends about $7
billion on textbooks every year, which works out to roughly $90 per
student across all grade levels. An undiscounted iPad costs $499, and
a Kindle Fire is priced at $199. Assuming textbook companies agree to make their content digital, it
could turn out to be significantly cheaper than hardcover books. Apple
is planning some digital textbook offerings for $14.99 or less (after
you’ve bought the iPad). But part of the value inherent in hardcovers
is the fact that they last years. Would e-readers survive lockers, bus
and bike rides, pep rallies and rain? And what happens if they’re
broken or stolen – how many backups do you need? There are also concerns about income gaps: Would lower-income students
be at a disadvantage if they didn’t have internet access at home? And
at least one English professor, Emory University’s Mark Bauerlein, has
questioned whether e-readers – with slick graphics, clickable words,
and scrolling text – could promote scanning of material instead of
truly comprehending the printed word. So if the SAT is issued on paper… It seems it’s only a matter of time before textbooks go digital. The
common hope here is that however quickly that happens, it will result
in a better education for our students. Otherwise, class, please open
your books and turn to page 168. Posted by Carl Azuz – CNN
toreplace textbooks with e-readers, like iPads, Kindles and Nooks. The
government hopes that the tax dollars set aside for traditional
textbooks will instead be used to purchase electronic devices – and
that every American student will have an e-reader by 2017. The U.S. Department of Education hails technology in the classroom as
beneficial to everything from students’ motivation to their technical
skills to collaboration among peers. Electronic editions of textbooks
would, in theory, be easier to update. It wouldn’t take a new edition
and printing to reflect Pluto’s loss of planetary status, for example;
you’d just download the updated material. But whether this is cost efficient depends on whom you ask (and what
you buy). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a strong
supporter of digital learning, says that America spends about $7
billion on textbooks every year, which works out to roughly $90 per
student across all grade levels. An undiscounted iPad costs $499, and
a Kindle Fire is priced at $199. Assuming textbook companies agree to make their content digital, it
could turn out to be significantly cheaper than hardcover books. Apple
is planning some digital textbook offerings for $14.99 or less (after
you’ve bought the iPad). But part of the value inherent in hardcovers
is the fact that they last years. Would e-readers survive lockers, bus
and bike rides, pep rallies and rain? And what happens if they’re
broken or stolen – how many backups do you need? There are also concerns about income gaps: Would lower-income students
be at a disadvantage if they didn’t have internet access at home? And
at least one English professor, Emory University’s Mark Bauerlein, has
questioned whether e-readers – with slick graphics, clickable words,
and scrolling text – could promote scanning of material instead of
truly comprehending the printed word. So if the SAT is issued on paper… It seems it’s only a matter of time before textbooks go digital. The
common hope here is that however quickly that happens, it will result
in a better education for our students. Otherwise, class, please open
your books and turn to page 168. Posted by Carl Azuz – CNN
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