Should laptops replace textbooks?

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.

Duh comman sense these textes books are out of date why should we have text books i mean everything we are learning now is old those text books don't have any idea of what is happening today we need laptops!!!!!!!!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101117184350.htm
Of course, the majority of textbooks are outdated for good reasons; discovery for one! Computers are marvels... but new research suggests we may want to use the precautionary principle when it comes to computer overuse at night--especially with children. The Light-at-Night (LAN) and cancer connection is well-researched and ongoing. This, however, is the first study to show a link between LAN and changes in the hippocampus associated with depression. (btw, sorry, this light level also applies to television... and adults.)
Perhaps a solution is to discover a balance; encourage daytime use of computers and use a current, hand-out study sheet lent out by the teachers for night use.
Better yet, get the homework done early. Get out and observe the stars and meteors at night!

This is an interesting question and I voted no but because I think we can have both together. If I had to make a choice that was absolute I would probably say yes. It seems likes there are just so many distractions online plus I am old fashion enough to prefer reading from a book rather than a screen. It just feels more comfortable although that is my age and frame of reference speaking. As far as utility and flexibility it is like comparing the horse and buggy to the car.

Staring at a direct light source for long or dense reads is likely to cause headaches, damage eyesight and make reading from a reflective light source (books) less stimulating and less interesting. For extended reading assignments or complex material nothing beats a textbook

I have a classroom set of 34 iPads thanks to a local textbook business who placed them in the high school English classroom to see how they might be used - and YES they are loaded with ALL of our English texts. This is absolutely the future; the drawback is that because they are shared between 4 classes I cannot send them home with students and belive me - they want to take them home. So we use the text as backup - students take them home and keep them there and we use the iPads in the classroom. Huge benefit for readers who need vocabulary support: iBooks and Kindle books allow students to hold a finger on an unknown word and immediately get a definition - no more feeling self-conscious in seeking a dictionary. Also there are note features and highlight features. Students can make text larger for easy readability . . . I could go on. But they do NOT have the issues that laptops do - fewer moving parts to break down, no viruses (as of yet), immediate updates to all apps, etc. Plus they showed me a chemistry textbook that was simply unbelievable - illustrations can be seen three dimensionally - students can turn them over and side to side to look at something. Wow! Toss the laptops - go for the iPads!