I really like the idea of e-books being used as the new medium for reading books for pleasure as well as using them to access textbooks for school.  I personally do not have an iPad or Kindle or any tablets but I want to look into purchasing one because I am only finding more good reasons lately to get one.  I think that (where and when possible) digital textbooks should be used.  Obviously providing tablets for every school and student to use or having every student individually purchase a tablet is unrealistic and may in fact be too much to ask for.  However, if there is opportunity for some students to use digital textbooks for their classes all the while making all schools more tablet friendly, it could be a great move in education.

The process certainly would not happen over night and in all honesty some schools may not even be apart of the ‘movement’.  In reality, what I’m hoping for may not even be all that realistic.  But some college classes are making a move in that direction.  This class for instance (ENGL 303) is all done digitally.  Even though I never got one, it was suggested that the students go out and buy a tablet because all of our work and assignments are seen and accomplished through our website and other things done digitally.  I can’t recall if we have handed in one piece of paper this semester.  Don’t be fooled though, we have accomplished a lot of work this semester.

Tablets are such a smarter way to approach school.  I have a bunch of space being taken up because all the books I need for school.  My backpack is heavy and becomes annoying to lug around.  My backpack isn’t nearly as bad as it was in high school though.  We had to have so many books that the back pack was literally at capacity.  Lugging around heavy loads on your back for hours a day can also be said to result in back injuries too.  I would really like to try to purchase a tablet and use it for as many classes as I can next semester without buying the expensive textbooks.  The good part about these online textbooks is that you have that text for even longer that just that semester, so buying that digital version may very well be worth it.  I think these iPads and others tablets are capable of a lot and can open a lot of doors.