Smartphones, E-Readers Replacing Textbooks

What’s the Latest Development?

Portable digital technology is forever changing the face of eduction. Smartphones and e-readers enable learning anyplace, anytime so teachers can better immerse their students in the day’s lesson. And compared to a textbook, a tablet computer seems like magic, summoning up unfathomable amounts of information while displaying colorful and easy-to-read graphics. The interactive and entertaining qualities of new smart devices are inspiring students to take more control over their education.

What’s the Big Idea?

Never before have schools faced the question of whether or not to buy textbooks. When electronic information is so readily available, so up-to-date, so much cheaper than buying hard-bound copies, textbooks become difficult to justify. The trend in education is reflected in society at large. The number of e-books sold online has seen a six-fold increase in the last year; Amazon now sells 2.5 e-books for every hard copy. The loss of textbooks will forever change the feel of education but it opens up many new opportunities.

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