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A Modern Alternative to Textbooks Essay

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The U.S. spends over 7 billion dollars on textbooks a year, and in many cases, those textbooks are out of date(“The Future of Education: Tablets vs. Textbooks” online). Schools have been using textbooks for as long as anyone can remember. In fact, some textbooks were found from as early as the 16th century(Goslin online). With the many new developments in technology, it’s time for a change. Schools should store away those heavy textbooks and make the switch to electronic tablets. Tablets would have many advantages over traditional textbooks; they provide a more enjoyable learning experience for students, they help students perform better in school, they would be more portable and they’re cheaper than regular textbooks.
Using tablets in …show more content…

Students who used an interactive, digital textbook of Algebra 1 scored 20 percent higher on standardized tests compared to students who studied with standard textbooks(“Should Tablets Replace Textbooks in K-12 Schools?” online). This verifies that tablets would be the wiser choice academically for students. On top of helping students get better grades in school, another perk to using tablets is the fact that they’re much more portable than traditional textbooks. Students often carry upwards of 20 pounds of textbooks and many back injuries can occur in result of this(Lynch online). In a study done by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 13,700 kids between the ages of 5 and 18 were treated for backpack related injuries during the 2011-2012 school year. These injuries included contusions, sprains, fractures and strain to the back and shoulders.(“Should Tablets Replace Textbooks in K-12 Schools?” online). Another study shows that 24% of students say that they carry at least 20 pounds of textbooks on a typical day- that’s the equivalent to carrying a car tire everywhere you go(Lynch online)! Are paper textbooks really worth the risk of all these injuries? Tablets would provide a much lighter and more portable alternative for students to carry in contrast to traditional textbooks, without the risk of an injury. Clearly tablets would be a smart choice for schools to use because of their

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