Tablets vs. Textbooks

Table of Contents

Introduction
Federal Initiatives in Education Technology
State Initiatives in Education Technology
Internet Access and Tablet Use in K-12 Schools
Opinions on Tablets and Textbooks
Pros
- Pro 1: Tablets help students learn more material faster.
- Pro 2: 81% of K-12 teachers believe that “tablets enrich classroom education.”
- Pro 3: Tablets can hold hundreds of textbooks on one device, plus homework, quizzes, and other files, eliminating the need for physical storage of books and classroom materials.
- Pro 4: E-textbooks on tablets cost less than print textbooks.
- Pro 5: Tablets help to improve student achievement on standardized tests.
- Pro 6: Tablets contain many technological features that cannot be found in print textbooks.
- Pro 7: Print textbooks are heavy and cause injuries, while a tablet only weighs 1-2 pounds.
- Pro 8: Tablets help students better prepare for a world immersed in technology.
- Pro 9: On a tablet, e-textbooks can be updated instantly to get new editions or information.
- Pro 10: Tablets lower the amount of paper teachers have to print for handouts and assignments, helping to save the environment and money.
- Pro 11: Tablets allow teachers to better customize student learning.
- Pro 12: Files on one tablet can be downloaded onto any other tablet, increasing flexibility and convenience for teachers and students.
- Pro 13: High-level education officials support tablets over textbooks.
- Pro 14: Students who own tablets purchase and read more books than those who read print books alone.
- Pro 15: Using a tablet is so intuitive that it makes learning fun and easy.
Cons
- Con 1: Handheld technological devices including tablets are associated with a range of health problems.
- Con 2: Using tablets is more expensive than using print textbooks.
- Con 3: Tablets have too many distractions for classroom use.
- Con 4: People who read print text comprehend more, remember more, and learn more than those who read digital text.
- Con 5: Many students do not have sufficient home internet bandwidth to use tablets.
- Con 6: Manufacturing tablets is environmentally destructive and dangerous to human health.
- Con 7: A broken tablet requires an experienced technician to fix, which can be costly and time-consuming.
- Con 8: Print textbooks cannot crash, freeze, or get hacked.
- Con 9: The average battery life of a tablet is 7.26 hours, shorter than the length of a school day.
- Con 10: Tablets are more likely to be lost or stolen than print textbooks.
- Con 11: Tablets enable students to cut corners or cheat on schoolwork.
- Con 12: The higher cost of tablets marginalizes poorer school districts and increases the “digital divide.”
- Con 13: Tablets increase the number of excuses available for students not doing their schoolwork.
- Con 14: Tablets shift the focus of learning from the teacher to the technology.
- Con 15: Tablets may be too difficult for less technologically savvy teachers to use.
- Con 16: Tablets are unnecessary because print textbooks that are not brand new still convey relevant information to K-12 students.
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