Tablets instead of textbooks for High School and younger.

[Lima Bean]

If you are a high school student or the parent of one, does your school still use textbooks?

In my children's school district, they phased out textbooks for the high school several years ago. They use school-issued iPads. Personally, I dislike it quite a bit. My daughter isn't naturally gifted in math. It's been a long time since I've taken algebra. There isn't even a text book for me to refer to for examples. Not even an online textbook. Instead there are links to YouTube videos. I'm totally serious.

While I love tablets, Kindles, and such . . . I've seen studies where people retain a whole lot more when they read from a physical book versus and e-device. If that's true, why the heck would a school want to move in that direction?

I already bitched about it to the school, but there's no stopping progress. The wave of the future is here. The district is now considering doing the same for the Middle School.

Considering everyone here embraces e-reading, I'm wondering if you think it's a good idea for convert our schools to digital.

[Ricky D'Angelo]

Ideally, there should be both a Physical and ebook text companion. If that is not a possibility, I would recommend trying to find a cheap used Algebra textbook somewhere or checking out the local library. Also don't knock out e/books youtube videos before you try it. Algebra is basically working at a problem one at a time on a piece of paper. On youtube/ebook the example is on a screen instead of a piece of paper. I actually use both physical books and youtube videos to learn math (to help my kids do their homework of course). I use the following youtube channel when I need help with math.

[kansaskyle]

I have a Sophomore and Senior in public schools here in Austin, Texas, and they still use textbooks; however, they are issuing laptops to underclassmen and moving towards online content.

I think there are some advantages to moving away from traditional printed textbooks including:

• Lightweight - having the entire year's worth of books on a tablet is significantly less weight than a bunch of text books. Especially, when you read about kids developing back problems from lugging heavy backpacks.
• Less storage - when the school year is over, school's don't need a huge amount of space to store textbooks.
• Potentially less expensive - printing books can get expensive when you throw in four-color pictures.
• Prepares students for the future - As an IT guy, I cannot tell you the last time I read a physical book for work-related stuff. PDFs and Web sites make up the bulk of everything I read for work.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Lima Bean

While I love tablets, Kindles, and such . . . I've seen studies where people retain a whole lot more when they read from a physical book versus and e-device. If that's true, why the heck would a school want to move in that direction?

Haven't there been studies that go both ways though?

Considering everyone here embraces e-reading, I'm wondering if you think it's a good idea for convert our schools to digital.

I think a mix is probably best. Our district tested out iPad's, but went with Chromebooks (middle school & high school have them) instead with some textbooks still in paper. The textbooks on the Chromebook work fairly well from what I've done with them and are for the most part just digital versions of the same or similar textbooks they use/used in paper (except you can search, highlight, etc.). Every kid has a school Google account with email, Google drive, etc.

One thing with Chromebooks or tablets or whatevers is there is an added distraction factor in that since they're web enabled the kids can do other things on them like play games and watch Youtube when it's really homework time. Takes a bit of extra monitoring every once and a while.

Also backpacks no longer weigh anywhere near what they did when kids were carrying around 4-5 large textbooks which is a very good thing IMO.

[meeera]

My kid is 14 and in high school in Australia. No print textbooks are required at his school, which I love because it reduces the weight of the backpack and my kid only has to remember to bring a single item back and forth from school. Electronic textbooks are provided to all students. All the texts have print versions available to buy for parents who really prefer print (and there's a reasonable secondhand market). All students bring their own iPad or small laptop to classes.

I do generally buy the English class novels/books in print if we don't already have them at home, particularly if it's small like Romeo & Juliet (a recent example).

The studies on retention were really poor quality. They were done on small samples, on atypical reading situations, and most importantly were done using subjects who were not at all accustomed to electronic reading of any kind.

Multimedia learning really does work, when done decently well. Maybe go take a few courses yourself at Khan Academy to check it out?

[FizzyWater]

So what happens if a kid loses a backpack, drops the iPad, etc. iPads are a whole-lot more expensive to replace than a textbook.

Do the families get the option to purchase "replacement insurance" at the start of the school year? Do the kids get to keep the iPads if they finish 4 years of high school?

I went to a pretty poor school district. I can imagine kids getting MUGGED for their iPads if we'd had them back in the day!

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

So what happens if a kid loses a backpack, drops the iPad, etc. iPads are a whole-lot more expensive to replace than a textbook.

Do the families get the option to purchase "replacement insurance" at the start of the school year? Do the kids get to keep the iPads if they finish 4 years of high school?

I went to a pretty poor school district. I can imagine kids getting MUGGED for their iPads if we'd had them back in the day!

My thought went to parents selling them.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

So what happens if a kid loses a backpack, drops the iPad, etc. iPads are a whole-lot more expensive to replace than a textbook.

Do the families get the option to purchase "replacement insurance" at the start of the school year? Do the kids get to keep the iPads if they finish 4 years of high school?

In our school it is a Bring Your Own Device programme, with a lot of up-front information, various discounts and payment plans, yes insurance plans; and kids whose families genuinely can't afford one will have one provided. The programme was started after research found that in this area and demographic (which is around median for my State), the vast majority of kids already had access to portable devices. Our laptops are already covered under our home contents insurance so I didn't purchase extra insurance.

My kid is not really careful (AT ALL hrrm), but with an STM shell and a good laptop backpack he's had the same Macbook Air going into his third year of high school. One free replacement of the shell under warranty when it cracked; no other damage.

No reports of kids stealing each other's devices that I've heard of. And of course Find My iPad/Mac/whatever is enabled.

I'm not claiming this sort of programme will work across all types of schools in all types of countries; just that it works here.

There used to be a government-funded school laptop programme which provided and maintained the devices, but funding was pulled a while back (for largely political reasons, I gather, not educational ones), and our school transitioned to BYOD.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Do the families get the option to purchase "replacement insurance" at the start of the school year? Do the kids get to keep the iPads if they finish 4 years of high school?!

For our district with Chromebooks the devices are turned in at the end of each school year. Insurance (covers theft & accidental damage) is $37 a year and is available at reduced cost for low income families. Kids with no home internet can checkout a WiFi hotspot from the school library for overnight use & the district has also made arrangements for lower cost internet when needed ($10-$13 a month).

[Lima Bean]

Replacement and repair insurance is $50.00 per school year here. The students don't get to keep the iPads at the end of the four years. Thank you all for lending me your perspectives. Some of you are all for going totally digital, I see.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by kansaskyle

I have a Sophomore and Senior in public schools here in Austin, Texas, and they still use textbooks; however, they are issuing laptops to underclassmen and moving towards online content.

I think there are some advantages to moving away from traditional printed textbooks including:

• Lightweight - having the entire year's worth of books on a tablet is significantly less weight than a bunch of text books. Especially, when you read about kids developing back problems from lugging heavy backpacks.
• Less storage - when the school year is over, school's don't need a huge amount of space to store textbooks.
• Potentially less expensive - printing books can get expensive when you throw in four-color pictures.
• Prepares students for the future - As an IT guy, I cannot tell you the last time I read a physical book for work-related stuff. PDFs and Web sites make up the bulk of everything I read for work.

Plus I imagine it's easier to update the material as needed. I mean say you have a history text that was published in 2005 as the standard for what a given school has (that's a 12 yr old book and therefore 12 yrs out of date). But if you have an ebook they can update the text to include more recent events that impact our present world.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by meeera

My kid is 14 and in high school in Australia. No print textbooks are required at his school, which I love because it reduces the weight of the backpack and my kid only has to remember to bring a single item back and forth from school. Electronic textbooks are provided to all students. All the texts have print versions available to buy for parents who really prefer print (and there's a reasonable secondhand market). All students bring their own iPad or small laptop to classes.

I do generally buy the English class novels/books in print if we don't already have them at home, particularly if it's small like Romeo & Juliet (a recent example).

The studies on retention were really poor quality. They were done on small samples, on atypical reading situations, and most importantly were done using subjects who were not at all accustomed to electronic reading of any kind.

Multimedia learning really does work, when done decently well. Maybe go take a few courses yourself at Khan Academy to check it out?

Sounds like fiction has become fact. In Wesley Allison's book "His Robot Girlfriend" his main character is a history teacher whose class uses electronic devices i.e. text tee's to study their lessons.