Textbooks have been a school staple for as long as I can possibly remember. With all of their informative text, and simplicity of use, they killed two birds with one stone. Nowadays, educational systems are switching to smartboards or electronic tablets. Do you believe this is beneficial? Why? Why not? Thank you for participating.

I believe it's partly beneficial for schools to use Smartboards, tablets, and computers, but in some cases it's more hassle for us students.

I like using textbooks for taking notes and first learning about a topic, but doing computer games or computer assignments helps me apply the knowledge and retain it longer.

Students using their own tablets/laptops in school gives them more practice with being responsible with school property. But getting into a school that uses them can be more expensive since the school would likely have to pay most of the money for them.

The best thing about using technology to learn things is that it's more interactive. Instead of sitting there and listening to a teacher (and sometimes fighting sleepiness), we're doing activities and with partner activities we're being more social.

I think tablets and such should be used for taking notes in class, and maybe in some cases, doing research on class topics while in class. But if it comes to stuff like homework, and info that's already known what it is, then textbooks should be the way to go.

For instance, if the answer needs to be the same for everyone, or the topic is specific, then textbooks would be necessary since students would research differently and find different answers, or not even what they need at all if they go online.

While I'm all for electronics, I strongly prefer textbooks to tablets in the classroom. Studies have shown that the use of tablets or other electronics to take notes perform worse than those that use old fashioned pen and paper. It can't be denied that technology has greatly influenced the way we learn, but the way I see it, technology should be used to supplement the class curriculum, put simply, it shouldn't be the sole source of learning, it is simply a tool, albeit a very useful one. 

When it comes to taking notes on a personal laptop or tablet in class, that's fine, work with whatever you are comfortable with and in whatever way works best for you. Another thing to consider is the degree of comfort or expertise the teacher/professor has with X device. If this was to become the new standard means of learning in the classroom, I imagine the teacher/professor would need to undergo some sort of training or course to get accustomed to using X device. There's also the students--there's bound to be a varying level of skill with technology in every classroom, so it's within reason to say that some learning time will be spent trying to sort out technical difficulties or bringing a student up to speed on how to open a window. Finally, there's the matter of X device being used as a means of entertainment...whatever form that might take, it's fairly easy to form an association between technology and games/entertainment.

Overall, I don't think tablets or X device needs to be used in place of textbooks because of all the added challenges it might pose to a classroom environment (depends on the class and their level of skill with technology). Personally, if I want a better hands on or visual representation of what I'm learning, I'm fine with seeking it out on my own free time. Classroom time is already limited enough, by bringing more technology into the classroom, you run the risk of cutting actual learning time even further...that's not a wager I'd be willing to make. 

Both, why make me choose between the two?

An option to download text books on to a pre owned tablet would save students hundreds of dollars a year. Many grants and scholarships only cover tuition, so people still have to bleed out money to pay for books with many courses requiring an updated book each year, so you can not even purchase a used one. I was in debt after college mostly due to the books. ><

For college, most certainly tablets. However, in elementary or so, textbooks. Now before I get slaughtered by every kid, hear me out. I knew this friend. She had a mentally disabled son, happened to be very violent at times. He was in a special needs class that required a specific 300 plus dollar tablet, to be purchased by the parent. Now after the first trimester and the fourth tablet, well, you can do the math. Bare minimum of 1200 bucks. Keep in mind this situation can be ANYONE. Who amongst us can say, in a GAMING COMMUNITY, mind you, "I never throw my controller/tablet/phone"? In a collegiate setting, as an adult, WE pay for it. In, say, third grade... well? Not too fair to put that in the folks hands.

I can say both on this subject. It's pretty easy to use both in a classroom in an educational level, though I would say to limit the tablets to middle or high school, while leaving elementary students with only textbooks. Like I said previously, as long as tablets are locked like school computers are, students can use them without trailing off to social media.

I think students should use textbooks. They can't download games or any inappropriate matter to a text book. We still haven't figure out how to make computers not cause the eyes to respond irregularly to the flashing light that screens produce (try recording your screen, it looks like the screen is still to the human eye but the recorder will record the lines of movement). If you study late with a textbook you don't have to worry about the light keeping you up. Textbooks are cheaper and more importantly no one wants to steal some child's textbook...stealing a child's tablet would be an entirely different matter. Plus most schools that have that technology require an internet connection if something happens I can still read my textbook but with the tablet I am just out of luck.

I believe that it would be very beneficial to integrate tablets into classrooms at the elementary school level so children from families with low incomes can gain vital experience operating these devices. I also hope that integrating tablets will encourage students to read more because the lack of literacy among students at public schools should be addressed. Now as for taking notes using tablets, I feel this could work despite what studies have shown regarding the use of computers for note taking. Perhaps, a solution to this study, would be instead of using keyboards to take notes we could use a different component to alleviate why studies have shown that taking notes on computers deteriorated. 

It is important for technology to be integrated at some degree with students' training and understanding.  It's what we use in many workplaces and we have to know how to handle tablets.

However, books are inexpensive.  Books don't have to be plugged in and charged.  Books don't connect the world to (potentially) all my information and give access to malfeasants to my accounts, SSN, etc.

Books can be quickly and easily referenced, highlighted, read, read again, saved, put on a shelf, and they can be dropped, thrown, tossed, spilled upon with coffee, and they still survive.  Plus, books can be passed around like a cold without passwords or concern for safety.  Books are incredibly important and connect us all together.

I vote both.  Books have a way of not allowing access to p*rn when students should be learning.  And books help develop a sense of style with reading and writing and teach word usage better than most online articles and written pieces.  But we have an integrated-technology society and students must be able to handle the clicky-clicky in the workplace.

I completely agree with pacman1755.

I prefer physical textbooks, because electronic textbooks on tablets are just too distracting to me, knowing that there are other things I could be looking at. 
That being said, whatever works for the student, as long as it doesn't interfer with other students, I'm for it.