Should Tablet PCs Replace Textbooks in School?

Technology has certainly changed a lot since many of us were in high school - from simple pocket calculators to phones that have more processing power than the Apollo spacecraft that landed on the moon.

In less than 10 years, wireless Internet itself has expanded from a slow transfer rate and short range to transmitters that can spread the Internet to an entire office building with blazing speeds.

Computers have gone from large, tower-based machines with bulky monitors to laptops and tablets that can fit in manila envelopes.

It's an amazing change of pace and with these changes, education has had to rapidly try to adapt.

Tablet PCs and eBook readers like the Amazon Kindle offer a wide range of possibilities through interactive textbooks, a plethora of digital applications, light-weight portability and an environmentally friendly aletrnative overall.

However, a key drawback currently for school districts is price. For instance, iPads cost $499 to start, and even a basic Amazon Kindle is $79. Meanwhile in many cases it's more economically sensible for school districts to buy physical textbooks in bulk.

Should schools start switching over to Tablet PC devices like the Kindle or iPad or continue using print textbooks?

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