Could and should electronic tablets replace school books?

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by sas318

Tablets (and computer screens) are so bad for the eyes. I get major eye strain just staring at a computer for hours, but I never get the same eye strain when reading a book for hours. I think it's the backlighting.

I actually find reading on a Kindle (actually I'm using Kindle software on a notepad) is easier on my eyes. I need bright light to read and I can adjust that on my notepad. I can change the font size, brightness, and backlighting. I also don't need reading glasses with the notepad. Even though my reading glasses are the least magnification (1.0), they tend to give me a headache.

[Ed Ferris]

"College professors often publish college textbooks in conjunction with these publishing companies. This is often a substantial source of income for college professors. Why would they want their universities to compete with these same textbook publishers?"

Of course the college professors wouldn't want it, but we taxpayers are paying them their salaries at the State University. We should get free textbooks, up to date and meaningful, for our money. Sure, that would put traditional textbook publishers out of business. That's the idea.
One incident Dr. Feynman related was that when a book requirement was revised so that it (unintentionally) put two publishers in competition, the bids dropped two million dollars. That's the sort of payoffs we need to get out of our school budgets. Then, the useless paper-shufflers with big salaries. Then, the building-contractor scams.
Or simply turn the whole mess over to private enterprise (and stop collecting school taxes from childless bachelors like myself).

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by Ed Ferris

"College professors often publish college textbooks in conjunction with these publishing companies. This is often a substantial source of income for college professors. Why would they want their universities to compete with these same textbook publishers?"

Of course the college professors wouldn't want it, but we taxpayers are paying them their salaries at the State University. We should get free textbooks, up to date and meaningful, for our money. Sure, that would put traditional textbook publishers out of business. That's the idea.
One incident Dr. Feynman related was that when a book requirement was revised so that it (unintentionally) put two publishers in competition, the bids dropped two million dollars. That's the sort of payoffs we need to get out of our school budgets. Then, the useless paper-shufflers with big salaries. Then, the building-contractor scams.
Or simply turn the whole mess over to private enterprise (and stop collecting school taxes from childless bachelors like myself).

I am so sick of hearing this argument (and rant).

Fine. You want it that way? I want the road that leads to wherever you live to be turned over to private enterprise, and every time you go home or leave home you have to pay a toll.

The public education system is for the good of all, whether you personally are educated or have children, or not. It's for "the common good". The better level of education this country has, the better country we are.

[psikeyhackr]

I was watching some grade school kids going home from school yesterday. It totally amazes me to see these little kids with backpacks so big they could hold half of the child. Some of them were obviously heavy for kids that size.

I think the issue with tablets is the same as the issue with not having a National Recommended Reading List. Properly implemented they would be a threat to some people's income.