Imagine a world where you have to carry four 4.8 pound textbooks to and from school every day. It perhaps sounds unorthodox, but is what many students around the world have to endure. Not only that, but the already tattered textbooks are subjected to erode even more. Not to mention, parents can spend hundreds of dollars nowadays on a single textbook, according to the Public Interest Research Groups. These are reasons why students shouldn’t use textbooks for studying and schoolwork, whereas tablets would be a much superior option for doing so. In schools across the Earth, tablets should replace the use of textbooks. There are several reasons why the replacement from textbooks to tablets would be efficient to both students and parents. First …show more content…
Imagine having to carry two to four textbooks compared to one tablet; that would absolutely more than 15% less. You could argue that it is a matter of a student’s strength to affect how much textbooks they could carry, but carrying too much weight on your back, no matter how strong you are, can lead to many severe back problems. Second off, one singular tablet would cost less than buying multiple textbooks, and perhaps even a singular textbook. According to the Public Interest Research Groups, parents can spend two hundred dollars to four hundred dollars on a single textbook nowadays. The price of an iPad and an iPad Mini 4 (not combined) is $329 (apple.com and other major retailers). You could argue that this may seem a bit high, but these are Apple products, which are known to have high prices for exceptional quality. Not to mention, multiple textbooks would need to be purchased to cover every class of a student’s curriculum. Other tablets like Kindle Fires and Samsung Galaxy tablets can be found at cheaper price for the same or almost the same quality. Also, it would be superbly cheaper than buying multiple $200 to $400 textbooks. Finally, tablets would last much longer than textbooks, while being up-to-date at
This article, “Why Are Textbooks So Expensive?” by Henry Roediger reveals the truth of why textbooks are so pricey. He shows how textbooks prices are costly not because of inflation, corporate textbook companies, and frequent revisions, but because of the sale of used textbooks. The article is elaborating on why used textbooks are the real culprit as well. One main point that is highlighted is that used textbooks are resold for many years. The initial selling of the textbook is the only time the author will make a profit, but the bookstore will make a profit every time they resell a used book. It is essential for the author to raise the price to compensate for the loss of money when dealing with used textbooks.
In recent years; much attention has focused on the rising costs of going to college. Nowadays, most college students' struggle with college fees in some way. It is hard enough for them to find the money to pay for their tuition fees, but on top of that they also have to find a way to pay for their course-required textbooks. Many do not realize how big of a problem the rising of textbook prices is, so in this paper will find out why textbooks are becoming more expensive, how significant this problem is, and how to fix it.
In the school year of 2011-12, over 13,700 US students aged 5 to 18 had to be treated in hospitals due to backpack related injuries (ProCon.org). These students were treated for contusions, sprains, fractures, and strains to the shoulders and back. The Archives of Disease in Childhood discovered that the average weight of a student’s backpack is about 15.4 pounds, while a tablet weighs about 1.25 pounds. Kids ages 5-18 should not be having to face problems that usually should not occur until later in life. The weight these textbooks are putting on students is too much, and are leading to problems...
Paper, Leather, and Words Thesis: Some schools have bought books for their library for students to read, however, there have been cases where the school has either tried to hide the book or books, or banned them. As well some schools have been sued for getting the books or taking the books away from the mind of young readers. Schools have been in these situations many times, and have either dealt with the problem or put it away and out of sight. However despite the problems it causes schools should not have the rights to take away books no matter how “inappropriate” it may seem in their eyes, as well, parents shouldn’t have power to take away the right of reading. It is really sad when
Although there are various websites and locations to purchase textbooks, students may not be finding the best deal. Students are often forced to buy expensive book to meet the requirements of their course. The Daily Dot continued to expand on this subject stating, “According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, the College Board says that students at a four-year public college pay an annual average of $1,200 dollars on books and supplies alone,” (par. 7). Most students do not have the funds readily available to make a purchase of multiple textbooks at one time. Due to the price of
Did you think the rising cost of your college tuition is bad? Then check out the rising prices of college textbooks. Between 2002 and 2013, the price of college textbooks raised 82% — nearly three times the rate of inflation, according to a recent study by the Government Accountability Office. Necessary to have for a class, these textbooks are one of the largest out of pocket expenses for college students and families, meaning that high price tags are yet another threat to the affordability of higher education in the United States. With very few exceptions, the college textbook market is not regulated by the government.
For example; Lee Wilson, an education marketing expert, estimated the yearly cost per student per class with tablets to be $71.55 than $14.26 for print textbooks (“Apple’s iPad Textbooks Cost 5x More Than Print). In addition, building new wi-fi infrastructure, training teachers and administrators how to use the technology, and hiring IT manager to control the system can be a high percentage of cost than new print textbooks in an average school. Appropriately, using laptops or tablets can cause more distractions in learning and higher costs for maintenance and
With the price of tuition increasing and other obstacles faced by college students, the added price of textbooks is overwhelming and can cause unwanted stress. Not only do college students pay for college tuition, but they also have to worry about rent, food, and other miscellaneous items required to maintain
Throughout the years prices have sky rocketed causing many negative things to come out of it. The Government Accountability Office released a study that states, "Between 2002 and 2013, the price of college textbooks rose by 82%" (USAToday). That is a huge difference that students right now are paying for a book that has a possibility of never being used. Not to mention that books are not included in tuition causing students or parents to take out more loans to cover the costs. An article that USA Today published mentions a survey they executed with over two thousand college students across one hundred and fifty campuses.
In the past five or six years iPads have become a big part of educating America’s youth and have been used in many schools. Archbishop Riordan High School implemented an iPad program in 2013 that provided textbooks and other in class materials to students on the device. iPad’s while nice to use as educational tools, have some disadvantages. iPads have many distractions available on them, there is no real way for teachers to monitor what teachers are doing on them, and they make it harder for students to socialize. Despite all these cons there are a few pros to using iPads in schools. Physically iPads are lighter to carry and buying an ebook is a lot less expensive than buying a regular textbook.
In conclusion, America provides many ways to help reduce the cost of college textbooks but society is still not satisfied with the outcome. The Open Textbook, Affordable Textbook Act, and book store rentals are wonderful programs, but has its disadvantages that hopefully would be resolved in the 2016 presidential elections. The statistics show that many students across the nation benefit from learning with quality of teaching, the amount of accessibility it provides without having to worry about paying off student loans. School administrations should consider about transferring to an act that would benefit both the school and the students, but also provide more equality to the publishers and students.
In contrast, tablets are very expensive. By purchasing a tablet, you are wasting your money that could be going towards your books or other necessities for college. The prices of a tablet depend on how much storage you think you are going to need for school. The usual starting price for a laptop with 16 GB, depending on the brand, is 500 dollars. In other words, you are buying more storage for more money, when you should be saving. Like I said previously, with tablets the extra storage is not
Tablets are more useful than textbooks it is more convenient to use at school, work, and at home setting.
The tablet market, of course, has pointed the debate in a new direction, as more and more schools and universities explore options that would ch...
Computers have surfaced to the forefront of education over the previous two decades. The laptop originally gave us the capabilities of a desktop computer in a portable form. Laptops have evolved and become even smaller and more portable. In more recent history, we have seen the introduction of notebook computers and computer tablets. The introduction of tablets and PCs in education has revolutionized learning, but it has caused controversy among students and educators. Many people worry that tablets and PCs are replacing conventional methods of education. Tablets, PCs, and e-books are powerful tools in the midst of the information age, but limitations and disadvantages do exist.