As a student i believe that laptops are better than textbooks. we can save all of our work online so when we return our laptops to our form room, teachers and us can access our work. textbooks could be given out to work from, and tests are hand written. i dont see whats wrong and schools would save lots of money from buying books each year. all my teachers think its a good idea and i am thinking about talking to our head.
I think Nadine is correct. I like the core information and ideas that are presented in bulk form by the textbook. The laptop and desktop make wonderful supplements particularly when moving pictures and demonstrations enhance the subject but for the subject at present being discussed or studied, I think computers should be used as an addition not a main method. I suppose there are myriad ways of ensuring that the teacher and class are "on the same page" when using a laptop but it is just another management factor to deal with as well. I see how they can be very useful for assigning homework and researching what is being studied in class. LAPTOPS --- Enhance and supplement textbooks? Most definitely! Replace textbooks? Not yet:)
Personally, though textbooks can sometimes be a little behind (history books for example), I still believe they should not be replaced by laptops.. Never heard of a textbook getting a virus, zapped by a close lightning strike, crashing , or having to call a tech support person because your book won't open. Yes they can be bulky and a weight load but personally I believe textbooks are the way to go.
I had this discussion with one of my son's teachers when we were talking about video games implementation as auxiliary material in school.The claim that computer games consoles can improve pupils' maths ability has been dismissed by an Edinburgh University brain scientist.Prof Sergio Della Sala said pupils' performance was just as good when using traditional textbooks. Not to say that video games are much more expensive than books and they can affect the children performance. There are shops or online sites that sell used textbooks that make books even more affordable.I'm not against technology,but I still think that replacing books with laptops will damage the already modified relationship teacher-pupil.
Laptops have such a rich potential for replacing textbooks in our classrooms. If these resources are availabe for our students, we shouldn't shy away from using them because students may be distracted. While they could be distracted during lessons, it is the teacher's responsibility to keep students engaged and on task by monitoring their computer use. One strategy is to have students face the wall while working on their laptops so that the teacher can circle the room and ensure on task behaviors.
I've been teaching in a laptop program since 2000. Education in the digital age has lots of advantages--and some disadvantages.
Textbooks today are often huge and heavy and expensive. Kids hate hauling them around, and I can't blame them. But textbooks are not evil in and of themselves; they are simply another resource and one that is easy to use and generally written to the level of student reading abilities. If teachers let the text drive their teaching, that's the teacher's mistake; don't blame the textbook!
While I'd choose laptops over textbooks (if asked to choose which way to spend precious money), I would also want textbooks--digital or hard copy--to be available to students. Sometimes a student just needs a quick intro/overview, and grabbing a text off the shelf and helping them find a chapter or section to read may be quick and beneficial. And sometimes, it is a lot faster and simpler (for the student), than logging in, searching for the appropriate link, etc. There can be a time and place where the textbook provides the best way to serve a specific need, even if there are other ways to meet the same need.
As with anything in our teacher-tool-kit, it isn't the tool, it is how we use it.
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Textbooks are the worst thing
Textbooks are the worst thing that any one could invent and they SUCK!!!
textbooks suck
textbooks suck
textbooks suck
textbooks suck
Student
As a student i believe that laptops are better than textbooks. we can save all of our work online so when we return our laptops to our form room, teachers and us can access our work. textbooks could be given out to work from, and tests are hand written. i dont see whats wrong and schools would save lots of money from buying books each year. all my teachers think its a good idea and i am thinking about talking to our head.
Sorry I hit the post button
Sorry I hit the post button twice! So I deleted the second post.
I think Nadine is correct.
I think Nadine is correct. I like the core information and ideas that are presented in bulk form by the textbook. The laptop and desktop make wonderful supplements particularly when moving pictures and demonstrations enhance the subject but for the subject at present being discussed or studied, I think computers should be used as an addition not a main method. I suppose there are myriad ways of ensuring that the teacher and class are "on the same page" when using a laptop but it is just another management factor to deal with as well. I see how they can be very useful for assigning homework and researching what is being studied in class. LAPTOPS --- Enhance and supplement textbooks? Most definitely! Replace textbooks? Not yet:)
Textbook for multiple reasons
Personally, though textbooks can sometimes be a little behind (history books for example), I still believe they should not be replaced by laptops.. Never heard of a textbook getting a virus, zapped by a close lightning strike, crashing , or having to call a tech support person because your book won't open. Yes they can be bulky and a weight load but personally I believe textbooks are the way to go.
I had this discussion with
I had this discussion with one of my son's teachers when we were talking about video games implementation as auxiliary material in school.The claim that computer games consoles can improve pupils' maths ability has been dismissed by an Edinburgh University brain scientist.Prof Sergio Della Sala said pupils' performance was just as good when using traditional textbooks. Not to say that video games are much more expensive than books and they can affect the children performance. There are shops or online sites that sell used textbooks that make books even more affordable.I'm not against technology,but I still think that replacing books with laptops will damage the already modified relationship teacher-pupil.
Laptops have such a rich
Laptops have such a rich potential for replacing textbooks in our classrooms. If these resources are availabe for our students, we shouldn't shy away from using them because students may be distracted. While they could be distracted during lessons, it is the teacher's responsibility to keep students engaged and on task by monitoring their computer use. One strategy is to have students face the wall while working on their laptops so that the teacher can circle the room and ensure on task behaviors.
what purpose does a textbook serve?
I've been teaching in a laptop program since 2000. Education in the digital age has lots of advantages--and some disadvantages.
Textbooks today are often huge and heavy and expensive. Kids hate hauling them around, and I can't blame them. But textbooks are not evil in and of themselves; they are simply another resource and one that is easy to use and generally written to the level of student reading abilities. If teachers let the text drive their teaching, that's the teacher's mistake; don't blame the textbook!
While I'd choose laptops over textbooks (if asked to choose which way to spend precious money), I would also want textbooks--digital or hard copy--to be available to students. Sometimes a student just needs a quick intro/overview, and grabbing a text off the shelf and helping them find a chapter or section to read may be quick and beneficial. And sometimes, it is a lot faster and simpler (for the student), than logging in, searching for the appropriate link, etc. There can be a time and place where the textbook provides the best way to serve a specific need, even if there are other ways to meet the same need.
As with anything in our teacher-tool-kit, it isn't the tool, it is how we use it.