, digital textbooks are better! Why? |
| via Amazon |
1. Affordability
Textbooks are notorious for their outrageous prices ($210 for Campbell Biology? $350 for Business Law: Texts and Cases??) set due to the resources used to print and bind them hard-bound. Slashing that factor—the paper, ink, and cardboard of the matter—can slash half the expenses.
The dozens of textbooks universities require add up to thousands of dollars per student, on top of tuition and board. Digital books—many of which have online versions that are entirely FREE—offer incredible savings, as displayed by Amazon retailers.
The dozens of textbooks universities require add up to thousands of dollars per student, on top of tuition and board. Digital books—many of which have online versions that are entirely FREE—offer incredible savings, as displayed by Amazon retailers.
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| via Amazon |
2. Exclusive Content
eTextbooks contain interactive digital media that won't be found anywhere else, including animated illustrations and practice quizzes. They also have the advantage of instant communication and sharing (referencing texts when asking professors for help was never easier) and quicker, more efficient studying options (internet browsing! instant highlighting and bookmarking! copy-and-paste functions for note-taking!).
3. Convenience
eTextbooks contain interactive digital media that won't be found anywhere else, including animated illustrations and practice quizzes. They also have the advantage of instant communication and sharing (referencing texts when asking professors for help was never easier) and quicker, more efficient studying options (internet browsing! instant highlighting and bookmarking! copy-and-paste functions for note-taking!).
3. Convenience
- no need to lug multiple books around to classes
- the ability to read anywhere at anytime (even in the dark!)
- discretion
A personal advantage for me is health-related: I have back problems, so carrying heavy items is strictly prohibited and will never be tolerated, ever (...according to my physical therapist).
Then there's the issue of storage. No need to sell an eTextbook back to the university bookstore cheap in attempts to (fruitlessly) salvage what was initially spent. Considering most of these books are used for one semester and then just discarded, the practicality of easy riddance is a godsend. I mean, will Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology ever really see the light of day again?
Save yourself, your wallet, and your back—it begs you!—by going digital with textbooks 
Then there's the issue of storage. No need to sell an eTextbook back to the university bookstore cheap in attempts to (fruitlessly) salvage what was initially spent. Considering most of these books are used for one semester and then just discarded, the practicality of easy riddance is a godsend. I mean, will Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology ever really see the light of day again?
Bottom Line
I'm on the other end.
ReplyDeletePartly because most of my university's textbooks are with Pearson and their digital textbooks are three times the price of the physical copy (no cheap ebboks for me *tear tear*)...and we need the access code anyway to take quizzes/tests
And I just hate reading from screens any more than I have to. *rubs eyes* sure you can take notes, but typing and highlighting are much more of a hassle. Even flipping pages is a hassle if you don't remember the page number and if it takes a LONG time to load. And because my screen isn't big enough, reading each page is a awkward mess of dragging around the page.
I don't mark up my textbooks (partly because I would like to sell them back or trade them in in the future and would like to get the best price for it..so I try to leave the book in pristine condition), so all notes are taken in a physical notebook for carrying purposes...handy for studying on the bus/in between classes. If I take notes on my laptop, it's on Evernote (so it will sync to my tablet.)
And because Pearson's "ebooks" can't be downloaded even if you have the access code and have to be read on their website...you are stuck if their site is down (which happened,) they have web glitches, no internet, no laptop battery, computer failure...etc.
But a lot of my textbooks come in looseleaf format, so I only bring the chapter we're on (so about thirty pages max) to class. And to be honest, class is rarely about referring to the textbook anyway. Usually we read the textbook and go to class for the professor to elaborate certain themes, or points we should be aware about.
If I do NEED to bring a textbook around, I have the practice of studying/doing homework for tha course on campus in between my breaks (only because I have some LONG breaks) so that I can leave the textbook in my locker. But I do understand the pain of carrying a lot of humongous textbooks...I try to tell myself I am building my muscles.
Lilian @ A Novel Toybox
These are some great points, Lilian! (I guess the moral of this story is Pearson sucks LOL)
DeleteI'm definitely not a fan of staring at screens too long, either—especially when it comes to reading—which is why I don't accept eBooks to read on my computer for review. However, I think the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite are absolutely revolutionary... they have the lit screens that aren't made of LCD lights, so they feel like an actual paper book.
Turning pages may be more difficult digitally than physically, but with eTextbooks, there's always the "search" option. One of the hardest things for me with physical textbooks is that I can always recognize information, but it takes me way more effort to actually recall the context in which I learned it. So I'll be madly flipping through this huge 800-page book because I KNOW there's a paragraph in there somewhere that can help me with a homework question or with studying, but it takes forever to find it :/
I've never used looseleaf books before, but they sound amazing. Just bringing one chapter to class would definitely lighten up the load. But I seldom have one class a day, so even if I did that, I'd end up bringing five or six chapters... so even that's a bit of a hassle when I could just bring one Kindle/laptop instead. You're right, though—at least it's a good workout!
Thanks for your thoughtful, well-written comment :) It's great to see another perspective on this issue from someone who's got the same experience with textbooks as I do!
This is such an interesting post, Karielle! I find it so amusing that regular textbooks are so darn expensive. I know some people who resort to downloading their books illegally because the hardcopy version deflates their wallet.
ReplyDeleteSince I live outside the US, these imported books are even more costly. My school had to contact Macmillian once to explain that most students could not afford the regular text, and they were gracious enough to provide digital copies for us.
What I loved the most about it was the ease of searching for content. You know some indexes suck beans, so it is always great to just "Ctrl + F", and use keywords. They are just so convenient.
These textbook expenses are never good news for the average college student, that's for sure! And I've seen "black markets" for electronic textbooks around, as well (usually they're free Torrent sites, but that's technically still illegal)... that says a lot about our dire need but simultaneous inability to afford these textbooks for classes. Universities should help subsidize these REQUIRED charges, but I digress...
DeleteI agree with you 100% about the Ctrl + F function. Searching is SO easy, especially if it's regarding something you learned a long time ago and just need refreshing for. Indexes are useless sometimes.
Thanks for your lovely comment, doll <3