Are Textbooks Obsolete?Where should schools be focusing their spending?

Alexander Sturges & Christina Thames

In an increasingly digital world, should schools still be spending money on printed textbooks, or should they begin to funnel their funds into newer, more interactive eTextbooks?

The issue at hand…

vs.

Pros Cons

Don’t have to pump funds into technology

Contain outdated material

Convenient for teachers and students

Used for many years

Many are comfortable with traditional model

Expensive

Cheaper to replace Not making use of tech. opportunities

Sticking with Print

Uncited information is supported by multiple sources.

Pros Cons

Offer a wide array of possibilities Its novelty fades fast

Appealing and engaging to students Easier to break / Expensive to replace

Cheaper and sometimes free sources

Potentially distracting

Easier to hold/carry Not as manipulative as paper texts

Going Digital

Uncited information is supported by multiple sources.

So which one is actually better for

learning?

We support the transition to digital textbooks; however, there are some caveats to our argument.

Digital textbooks should be more broadly defined, rather than just digital versions of printed texts. They should include additional content such as classroom management systems, online connectivity, and multimedia content for them to be worth the shift.

Not all printed sources should be eliminated from the classroom. We should strike a balance and consider the needs of individual subject areas.

Our Position

Lack of supporting research that it actually is better (Hu, 2011; Hollander, 2012)

Many eTextbooks require yearly subscription updates

Many schools lack the technological infrastructure and funding to support

Further the digital divide and widen the gap between rich and poor

High learning curve for teachers eTextbook compatibility issues: “Faculty will find

themselves faced with the prospect of selecting course readings based on their compatibility with a particular device rather than on the suitability of the material for the course” (Streitfeld, 2012).

What if the system goes down?

The Other Side of the CoinDisadvantages of Going Digital

Uncited information is supported by multiple sources.

Many now come with digital supplementary materials

Replacement cost: Textbooks—$100 vs. Laptops—$300

Provide students a valuable, reliable, & convenient source of information

Act as a valuable reference source for teachers

Many students prefer the ease of skimming and locating passages in paper texts

Paper is better than the screen—Cambridge and UVA research (Williams, 2012)

The Other Side of the Coin (cont.)Advantages of Printed Textbooks

Uncited information is supported by multiple sources.

E-readers are lighter and easier to carry than textbooks

Easy to search, distribute, & transmit information eTextbooks can be easily updated with new info Can save schools $12.2 billion annually—or

$250/student (Electronista, 2012) Improves the learning process with interactive

material and multimedia content Appeals to the “digitally nimble youth” (Lewin,

2009) eBooks streamline the school enrollment process Apple & Obama

Our Side of the CoinAdvantages of Going Digital

Uncited information is supported by multiple sources.

Textbooks are outdated before their ink even dries

The same texts are used for 7-10 years Easily damaged, heavy, and large Present information as finite, linear, and rote Do not engage students in authentic learning US spends $8 billion annually on printed

textbooks (Hefling, 2012) Teachers have moved beyond the model of

simply teaching to the text

Our Side of the CoinDisadvantages of Printed Textbooks

Uncited information is supported by multiple sources.

At the district level, schools systems should pull together committees within content areas to assess which format (digital or not) would best serve each individual content area. A blanket policy is not going to help anybody.

Schools need to make to sure that they have the infrastructure (tech & personnel) to support wider technology use before spending money on devices or e-resources.

It’s probably best that students experience a healthy balance of both print and digital sources—we cannot disregard the value of printed texts solely based on the expansion of digital technology, but it is equally important to provide students ample opportunity to engage with this technology.

Our Recommendations

Bibliography