No more textbooks
now this is a story worth writing about. i think this is a preview into the future and i couldn’t be happier.
VAIL, Ariz. — Students at Empire High School here started class this year with no textbooks, but it wasn’t because of a funding crisis.Instead, the school issued iBooks — laptop computers made by Apple Computer — to each of its 340 students, becoming one of the first U.S. public schools to shun printed textbooks.
what a great forward looking school. obviously, the vast majority of schools are nowhere close to being ready to do this, but i also think many schools could get ready fairly quickly if they knew it was coming. i thought it was encouraging to read that the rest of the district is traditional with textbooks and yet this iBook school has a waiting list of students wanting to get in. and, kudos to the district for choosing Apple’s iBooks. ;~)
the article talks about how the classrooms are paperless, which is something i try and do as well. the one thing i don’t do electronically is the textbook i use. in fact, i wrote the textbook and i am stuck using it in paper form from the publisher even though i have the PDFs of all 12 or 13 chapters. i earn 50 cents a copy on this textbook and i would love to make nothing if i could give the content away; although, my contract does not allow me to do that, nor can i make a competing textbook. i’ve learned lessons the hard way this first time. but, enough about that, this school has dropped using all textbooks and the teachers now find many resources online. what a terrific way to prepare students better for their future of trying to evaluate materials found online and seeing how materials found online can be productive. i hope we hear more from this school as they progress through the school year. i’d love to hear the progress they make along with the barriers they encounter.
August 23rd, 2005 at 11:55 pm
Your post is definitely a good lesson for aspiring writers everywhere: it can be exciting to get published, but a contract can come back to bite you later.
I’ve been thinking about switching to a Mac, if only because they are generally more powerful video editing machines, but the price still scares me off. I guess I’ll wait and see what happens when they switch to the Intel-designed chip.
August 24th, 2005 at 12:58 am
thanks rob. i’ve seen some of the amazing things you’ve done with video and i think you could really take advantage of final cut pro (they have a light version that is still light years ahead of iMovie). i own FCP and i still use iMovie the vast majority of the time just because it’s quick and does a great job for the family flicks that i am playing with most of the time.
the cost is prohibitive for the pro user (like you). i think mac laptops have come down in price enough to be very competitive price-wise with PCs, but the desktops that are worthwhile on the Mac side still seem to be a bit more. then again, the Macs come with much that would be an upgrade on many PCs.
i did hear about a person last week who was able to hack Mac OS X and install it on his PC. so, perhaps you won’t have to buy a Mac at all to be able to take advantage of the video software. stay tuned, eh? ;~)
September 12th, 2005 at 3:54 pm
I found this insert very intersting. It’s hard to imagine a classroom without textbooks, but its not a bad thought. What about the schools that cannot afford this technology? Will those students become behind other students? Its just a thought…I would much rather be searching through my organized computer for my notes, rather than my unorganized desk!
September 12th, 2005 at 3:56 pm
I found this insert very intersting. It’s hard to imagine a classroom without textbooks, but its not a bad thought. What about the schools that cannot afford this technology? Will those students become behind other students? Its just a thought…I would much rather be searching through my organized computer for my notes, rather than my unorganized desk! (I didn’t go far enough in the directions so I had to post this again w/ my last name! sorry!)
September 12th, 2005 at 9:31 pm
I can’t imagine not having to carry around textbooks to all of my classes! What a relief that would be, not to mention costs. I don’t know if it was mentioned in the actual article or not, but it would be interesting to know whether or not each student had to pay for their ibooks. The textbooks we use here at Grand Valley can get pretty pricy, and then we get what, 20% back of what we paid? It’s pretty absurd! It would be nice to be able to get all the books online, but then again how can a school trust that each student will take care of the ibooks? What happens if something goes wrong with it - does the student pay to repair it? It seems like it could get pretty confusing.
I also know that many students never open up a book because it seems intimidating and too wordy. Maybe it would help having all this information on the computer and being able to cut and paste important information to a word document(although I know apple doesn’t work with this…). I’m just rambling, but this post definitely got me thinking!
September 13th, 2005 at 10:54 am
This topic is very interesting as I think schools will come to this in the next 10 years. But, the way the budgeting is so tight right now, I wonder if it will happen even in 10 years. So many schools are cutting people and other things. It will save schools money if they do not have to buy all the textbooks and paper and stuff, but the online books and links must be expensive too.
One advantage of this would be that the information would be much more accurate I bleieve as you just get an up date instead of ordering the new book.
For college life, this would be awesome as we wouldn’t even need bookbags anymore, but the poor people without a computer would be lost!
September 13th, 2005 at 3:51 pm
This idea seems wonderful!! Technology is continuing to improve on a regular basis and shows know signs of slowing down. What better way to teach our students about technology other than to give it to them hands on at an early age. However, like many others have pointed out already, those districts who do not have the funding for this, would be putting their students at a disadvantage and would risk having them be left behind as adults. No books, seems like it would cost less and maybe be more time consuming for the teachers and the students. I really think the idea would be better served in a college setting.
It seems to me to be part of the paradox of progress.
September 13th, 2005 at 6:31 pm
This article shouldn’t come as a shock to me but yet it still does. Technology is moving at an extremely fast pace in today’s society. Having no textbooks in class has its pros and cons. Like other people said great you don’t have to carry all those books around. The information can be easily updated and you don’t have to pay for the books. Well actually it would probably cost money (like everything else) to download them. On the other side schools odviously don’t have the funding for every student to carry around ibooks. I don’t like the idea of not having concrete information on paper when I’m lounging around my house. I like to just take the book lay down, read, and relax. With computers you have to sit up and constantly stare at a screen. It’s nice for some people but not for me. The idea is good and I’m sure it works great but having no textbooks would take some serious adjusting.
September 13th, 2005 at 9:10 pm
I found this piece very interesting as well. It has been a few times about not having to carry books to everywhere to class and the prices are gettin quite high considering we “don’t get anything back.” It will be interesting to see how this idea works out and if more schools will start doing this as well. Another good point that someone already brought up was about how everything would be more organized with using computers. One thing that I wondered about is how would there status be tracked, such as if a teacher is teaching something how would will the teacher know the student is actually following along with the ibook instead of looking something up or emailing someone? Also, after reading this it got me thinking to my years in high school and a few years back when I was in about 9th grade there was talk about getting the middle school students each a lap top to use. They would stay at school and would have to be, in a sense, “checked out” each time they were used. I remember my class and others above me being so jealous and thought it would be more useful to high schools then middle schools. I guess after much talk thought they decided against the idea…so maybe after this school experiments the school I attended will look at is a time to start.
September 13th, 2005 at 9:24 pm
i find the idea of no text books is not only efficient but also prepares the students in yet another way. by using technology everday the students will be forced to not only learn how to use computers, but use them well. i agree with another comment that there could be a problem with distractions the computers could provide. in my computers class in high school the teacher at any time could monitor any computer in his class, and if this strategy is used by the faculty then many distractions will be eliminated, but some will still exist. i dont see a great number of schools switching to computers as the cost im sure is very high, and the idea im sure will have to be approved by many in the community. while i feel there could be some downsides to the idea i believe this idea of using computers instead of text books is great and is a big step in modern day education
September 13th, 2005 at 10:12 pm
I read a similar article a few months ago. My first thoughts were not positive ones. I feared the elimination of books, and, as a prospective English teacher, this was not a welcomed thought. I remembered the “e-books†offered through my high school library as well as the public library and instantly a sense of frustration followed. I would never be able to read a book in its entirety online. I have trouble reading news articles sometimes. Then I realized that the school was not trying to put an end to books, but simply eliminate the use of textbooks within the classroom. There is not a problem with that in my eyes. Most of the material within the binding is never taught or discussed and the information is very general. The internet provides a world of information that would never all fit within a textbook or the mind of the teacher. I could see this as a major benefit for subjects such as History, Political Science, Social Sciences, and early Science. I could even image English classes without oversized textbooks (although a lot of printed material would be necessary, at least in my opinion). I struggle in imagining the use of computers when the subject requires heavy math. In what ways would a computer be more useful than a textbook in subjects such as chemistry, algebra, and calculus?
September 14th, 2005 at 1:41 pm
This idea of not having text books but rather ibooks seems like quite an ideal answer to keeping students up to date on advancing technology. But to me this is the sort of idea that only seems realistic in a world where money grew on trees. Right now there are school districts in the nation that can’t even afford to buy text books, classroom resources and even paper; Teachers are being cut and classroom sizes are growing. With most Schools being on such a tight budget I don’t think that its fair to those struggling schools to even think about supplying students with there own laptops. With technology constantly being updated the ibooks would be out of date as soon as a year. So just like textbooks, ibooks would need to be replaced just as frequent.
However putting the money issue aside, I think this is a great idea. Students would learn to work more proficiently on their own and also at their own pace. More resources would be available to the students immediately rather than going to a library.
September 14th, 2005 at 9:19 pm
What a thought. Classrooms with out textbooks. Classrooms and textbooks go hand in hand, like birthday cake and candles.
I am a very organized person,and organization makes me very happy. Not having any textbooks would make life a little more organized, and a little more happy.
My only concern with this is cost. With all the cuts that are being made in the education system, how possible is this? Will it save money, or will it cost more money. You can use textbooks for many year, were ibooks will need to be replaced every couple of years. If a textbook gets wet the pages may dry, but what happens to the ibook?
On a positive note, ibooks will be more updated then say the textbooks that you can hang onto for years.
Question: Do you see computers someday taking over the entire education system? Do you see students being taught only by computers, or will there always be a need for teachers?
September 14th, 2005 at 9:51 pm
While I think this is an interesting idea, I have my doubts about it as well. First off, let me say that I could see the idea working quite well at the college level, however, I think that children in elementary school, for instance, should still be taught with actual text books. At this level, text books are usually provided free of charge, which is important as these kids are not at the point in their lives that they could to buy a computer. In an ideal world all parents could afford computers for their children and would be happy to do so, but this would not be the case. Secondly, children have enough trouble trying to learn the basics of reading, math, and such without also having to tackle the task of computer operation at the same time. For highschool students, the cons may not be quite so dramatic but the money issue would still come into play. So, in conclusion I think the idea is a good one, but i think it would be difficult to successfully carry out.
September 14th, 2005 at 10:11 pm
I remember going to my school’s open house in fifth grade and seeing a booth set up in the hallway with an assortment of laptop computers. As this was probably my first encounter with a laptop, I was amazed. My teachers and administrators presented information to the students and parents about how we would be “paperless” before we graduated. The thought of this seemed so amazing to me at the time, and to this day, it still does. Unfortunatly that never happened in my district, although they did talk about it. I would love to not have to worry about which sheets of paper i needed for which class or where I put that homework assignment, etc. I think that this is a great advancement in technology and schools. I would support this movement in a heartbeat!!
September 14th, 2005 at 11:48 pm
I have a hard time reading something off my computer and I love writing side notes and marking up my books. I would defeat the purpose of having an ebook by printing off every page. I think it would have to optional.
September 15th, 2005 at 8:48 pm
I think textbooks are definately a good thing for students to have. Although computers are extremely useful and convienant not all students have access to a computer or the internet at home. Sometimes, especially when you get into high school you need something to reference while doing homework or studying and without something right in front of you that is easily and immediately accessible how are you going to learn that information? Maybe a book could be still be part of the class however just as a reference for home. Other than that I think a paperless classroom is a great idea and I wish it was part of my learning experience prior to now.
September 16th, 2005 at 2:21 pm
A classroom with out books is a great thing. I agree that it is a hassle to carry around a bag full of books. I just read an article about a college going to iBook’s. What a thought! That would be nice, especially the class that requires you to buy 10 books.
I think it’s great that the school going ‘paperless’ is still using text books. I think you can use both ibook’s and textbooks and creat a great learning environment. I would much rather have iBook’s than textbooks.
For the students who don’t have a computer at home, it’s great that they issue computer for students to use. By doing this, the student who doesn’t have a computer, is getting all the benifts of ibook’s that every student gets.
September 16th, 2005 at 4:24 pm
I like the idea of students having iBooks. I however think that this could be a very distracting idea.
Having books on the computer will be nice so that a bag full of books is not needed. It saves paper, trees, and the environment. It could possibly be cheaper as well.
Although, ccomputers can be distracting. I know this from experience. I get a laptop from Cornerstone University (where I attend) and we have wireless internet in all classrooms. This is helpful for research, however tempting to not pay attention. Even if internet is not available, there are still plenty of other things to do.
I am not sure how I feel on this situation. I think there are many pros and cons to each side.
September 17th, 2005 at 6:44 pm
The thought of a text book free classroom I guess sounds good. I agree the price of text books is too high. Not mention all the trees we would be saving and the heavy loaded backpacks would be significantly lighter. Also introducing children to all the marvels of the computer is wonderful. I suspect it would be like going to another country and having to learn their language. You learn the language faster and more complete by the total emersion rather than taking a single class. Today’s job market leans very heavy on computers and how knowledgeable you are in them. So I could see how many people would want to have their high school age children in such a school. However, I can also see many cons to such a system. In every school district there is a wide range of abilities, even in the rich communities. How does a child who is struggling already breach the gap from the written word to a complex machine such as a computer. Also there are many different ways and styles of learning, will the computer or textbook-less style allow for this? And there is something to be said about curling up with a good book. And where do you learn these skills or even the love of reading? (For me it was Not from the computer? But maybe I am just getting old?)One big objection I have to this ideas would be it is not practical for the younger ages. Elementary, for sure, this would be to difficult. Beyond the obvious, I would not want to trust a young child (even a 5th grader) with such an expensive tool on a regular basis. (My kids have messed up my computer so many times I finely gave up and bought another one. Just for me!) By the time children reach middle school I believe they could cognitively understand most of what they would need to do, however that brings you back to the responsibility aspect. Although my 13 year old 7th grader is very responsible and baby sits all the time, she still leaves her $1000. 00 instrument at school in an unlocked locker. She has even left it in the gym after lunch, all night. I completely see the need to reduce paper and to take advantage and use technology as much as you can both at home and at school. However, maybe somewhere in the middle might be safer. Or maybe I am just to cautious or to traditional.????
September 17th, 2005 at 8:56 pm
i find it very interesting that a school as took the chance to take away text books. it would be strange not carrying around books with you all day. i don’t think i would like at a lot because i like to have a book to look at but i am sure after time i would get use from using a computer and love it. it would be so easier to do research and stuff if you always have the computer with you.
September 17th, 2005 at 9:02 pm
I think that no text books would be cool. In deed it would be expensive ebecause every student would have to have their own lab top. It’s crazy that a school has already did this. To tell you the truth i’m pretty shocked. I don’t think thtis would be possible everywhere due to the amount of the students at some High Schools. The school i read about only did it for 350 students or some amount around there. There are some schools with more than 4,000 students attending it. That would be too much money to spend on computers, however, if schools just started getting 100 computers or a little more each year until theye reach the amount of students they had attending the school i think it could be successful.Another problem i see is students saying things on the ecomputer busting which will happen so they couldn’t do thier homework. I do think this would be cool to not use any books in school. In the future i can see many schools trying to go to a plan like this. It will be neat to see what happens when i’m a teacher. Hey maybe they will give me my own lap top to hahahahah…..
September 18th, 2005 at 9:57 am
I think the whole no textbook thing is a great idea, because you would be utilizing technology at to a great extent. However, I would not benefit from using only laptops and not having a textbook. I learn better when I have a hard copy of what I am reading so I can jot down notes and highlight as I read. That’s great if others benefit from this by saving money, but I will stick to the old traditional way of doing things.
September 18th, 2005 at 3:34 pm
I read a couple of the entries but this one intrested me the most. Clearly that was the same for some other students as well. I think there are benefits to having ibooks. Not paying for a bunch of books could in the long run save money. Then there is the issue of how much weight a student should carry in their backpacks to prevent injuries, and this would certainly cut down on that. Using the ibooks can also save on resources. I do not know exactly what a ibook is composed up but the amount of paper being used would be cut back by a lot. It is hard for me to image no textbooks in a classroom. I’ve gone through my education with textbooks and feel like I’ve learned a great deal. Personally I would prefer them because that is what is comfortable to me. This kind of goes back to teaching the importance of technology early to student (k-12) so that such ibooks could be used. As a student that used text books I am not sure how capable I would be at instructing a class entirely on a computer. It would have been helpful if the article explained the functions a litte more in depth so I could have a better understanding of what the ibooks are.
September 18th, 2005 at 10:18 pm
I really enjoy reading articles such as this one. The reason why I enjoy reading this type of article is because it seems as though we are finally looking ahead in a realistic way. Eventually, there will not be a need for textbooks; why not start now by working the kinks out of a paperless system. Even upper elementary and middle schools will eventually have their own computers for everything from note taking to research. I am definitely in favor of a paperless system and I congratulate those who are encouraging such a system.
September 19th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
A world without textbooks…..that sounds amazing!! I am not sure how that would work. It seems like it could be a great idea, yet it also seems like a huge cost for every student to be using ibooks. I know that I would love to not have to pay for books every semester but somewhere there would have to be a cost. Would all students benefit from ibooks. I think it would be hard not having a hardcopy to highlight and take notes from the reading and I bet there are other kids who would feel that way too!
September 22nd, 2005 at 12:59 pm
I think the idea of having a lap top instead of textbooks is a great idea. Lap tops are reusable, more interactive learning tools, and are going to teach kids how to use technology. On the other hand, they are expensive but maybe the long term cost is better than that of textbooks. Oh yeah and they are more environmentally friendly-less trees!