Running Head: TABLET VS.

TEXTBOOK

Tablet vs. Textbook

Fernando Medina III
University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract

The growing field of technology has now made its entrance into our education
system, which is an ongoing debate. The debate, which brings forth the main question,
whether the use of technology in our education system is necessary? and if so how is it
affecting the field? Most of the technology use in schools is in tablets, which are portable
handheld devices that can either be used to read course material or practice the course
material using different applications. The purpose of this literacy review is to define the
situation, in attempt to give both sides of this on going debate, whether the use of
technology is necessary, or whether sticking to the traditional textbook is the more
practical way to go. Deciding which of these two would create a better learning
experience for both the teacher and the student.

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Tablet vs. Textbook

In todays society much of what we do is either done by technology or with the

influence of technology. Technology has recently become a part of our lives ranging from
the younger generation to the older generation that was never exposed to this way of life.
Much of the newer generation are being born into becoming reliable upon technology,
much of todays children can be seen interacting with a tablet or a gaming console of
some sort, instead of playing with toys or reading books. With so many advancements in
technology, it was inevitable that this technology would come into use in our education
system. Slowly but surely many of the nations school districts are beginning to
implement the use of technology in their schools. Technology such as tablets are being
distributed to students and staff in attempt to allow both teachers and students to interact
with course material in a way that will make it easier for the student to comprehend the
course information.
With the transition from our well know traditional textbook to the use of tablets,
many people support this transition, however many people oppose the transition in
regards to vast amount of pros and cons. Many believe that he use of tablets improves
student achievement on standardized tests, helps students learn more material, contain
many technological features that cannot be found in print textbooks etc.. While those who
oppose the transition believe that tablets have too many distractions for classroom use,
lead to a range of health problems, allow students to cheat on homework assignments
done on tablets etc.. For these reasons debate continues over the right answer as to which
is more beneficial in a classroom environment, and deserves the consideration through
the review of these three questions:

TABLET VS. TEXTBOOK

1. What is the difference between a textbook and a tablet?

2. What do recent studies show is more beneficial to students?
3. What do students feel is more beneficial for their studies, a traditional textbook,
or a device for reading eBooks?
What is the difference between a textbook and a tablet?
With the emergence the technological world we live in, come various advances
from that are different from that of our past. These advances were created in attempt to
make things easier and more efficient in any case primarily. In this piece, the advance that
was known to be inevitable, the transition from the traditional textbook to a tablet.
Traditional textbooks date all the way back to the Ancient Greeks who wrote texts that
was intended for educational purposes. The textbooks that we know of today didnt blow
up until the creation of the printing press which enabled textbooks to be printed and used
in educational facilities. The purpose of the textbook was primarily to pass on
information in attempt for the person who is reading it to learn and grasp the material.
The textbook is printed on paper, which means that when reading it, it is easier on the
eyes because there is less strain. A tablet computer, commonly known as a tablet, is a
portable handheld device that is equipped with an LCD screen, a touchscreen display
some including a camera and microphone. Tablets can come equipped with a vast amount
of features such as IR sensors, fingerprint reader, mouse, keyboard, Bluetooth technology
etc.. However the primary features tablets provide that attract to our educational systems
is their abilities to contain and project a vast amount of electronic books, and also the vast
amount of educational applications that provide a gateway between user compatibility
and learning course material. Most tablets are equipped with an internal memory chip that
varies by size, any where in between 8GB-64 GB, also allowing expandable memory that

TABLET VS. TEXTBOOK

can double the size of storage. With that ability to expand storage, it gives forth the
opportunity in having a ridiculous amount of eBooks on the tablet. Rather than carrying
around 10 textbooks in a conventional backpack, a student has the opportunity to one
avoid a heavy backpack, and two protect his/hers back form injury due to large amount of
force from the backpack.
What do recent studies show is more beneficial for students?
In modern society, the implementation of education has grown from that of its
views from past decades. The necessity of education has grown and will continue to grow
because big companies have recently made it a requirement to have a degree of some
sort. With so much concentration on education, society had made getting an education a
normal thing to do. Whether it is a high school diploma, associates degree, bachelors
degree, masters degree or doctorates degree. With so much of society participating along
with the advancements of technology these students are stuck in between using the
conventional textbooks or the new era tablets. Multiple studies have been done that might
aid a student as to decide which way is better for learning or understanding course
material. Although advancements in technology make the transition from textbook to
tablet inevitable, a study conducted by Student Monitor, which was featured on
Washington Post, stated that 87 percent of textbooks spending in fall 2014, was that of
text print. In another study, which was featured in the Guardian, found that students using
a kindle were significantly worse than paperback readers at recalling information.
(Flood, 2014) The study, which was presented in a conference in Italy, gave 50 readers
the same shorts story. Half read the story on a Kindle, the other half in paperback. Results
bringing forth the concept that students who read on a Kindle or tablet of any sort are

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more prone to forget information read than that compared to students reading on
traditional text. According to Pulitzer Prize winning technology writer Nicholas Car,
studies showed that reading digital text might increase the cognitive load which may in
essence lower the brains ability to comprehend and retain information (Car, 2010).
Studies conclude people who read print text comprehend more, remember more, and
learn more than those who read digital text. Although traditional textbooks might seem to
be the right way to go, tablets also have positive studies that show how effective they are
in the educational setting. In an article written by Brian Handwerk for National
Geographic News, about a study done by Matthew Schneps, a founding member of the
Science Education Department at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center, which included high
school students using a solar system application to explore 3-D, pinch to zoom displays
in various modes. The students showed improved learning when using these different
modes, thus suggesting that tablets could aid the study of many scientific concepts that
are difficult to grasp (Handwerk, 2013). University of California Irvine Medical School
began a program called iMedEd, where 104 medical
students in the class of 2014 received an iPad when
they started in 2010. UC Irvine then reported that the
class that received the iPads scored an average of 23
percent higher on national exams than those of the
classes from previous years that did not utilize a
tablet (Comstock, 2013). Studies help conclude that
students who utilize tablets as a learning device may

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be prone to having higher test scores and having a better understanding of the course
material being provided.
What do students feel is more beneficial for their studies, a traditional textbook, or a
device for reading eBooks?
With all this decision-making concerning tablets and textbooks, one would only
be able to decide one over the other after viewing what other students who are dealing
with the same issues are saying. With that in mind, I conducted a small survey using
Survey Monkey, which included 15 students ranging from freshman to senior, who attend
the University of Texas at El Paso, each student with a different career path thus resulting
in different classes being taken. Within this survey 5 separate questions were asked in
attempt to show how students really feel about this on going debate. The 5 questions
include: While attending school, how do you prefer to learn course material, recent
studies have shown that students who us tablets as a way of learning score higher on
standardized test, than those who use traditional textbooks. Do you agree, from past
experience, which of these two, tablet or text book have given you higher test scores,
would you join the movement in which schools teach primarily with tablets, in your
opinion, which of these two is easier to read. After gathering the results, the data shows
that out of these 15 students, 66.7 percent of them prefer to learn on a tablet, 53 percent
have had higher test scored when using tablets, 80 percent would join the movement of
being taught primarily with tablets and 60 percent find it easier to read with a tablet. The
result show that students lean more toward the utilization of tablets rather than the use of
traditional textbooks because it may be easier to read on a tablet, it is more convenient
and also it has helped improve grades by a substantial amount, this survey may clarify

TABLET VS. TEXTBOOK

how students actually feel about this on going debate and aid in deciding which is better
to use.
Conclusion/Synthesis
Technology is a field where there are infinite amount of possibilities, both for the
good and the bad. What technology has brought whether we know it or not, has some sort
of an influence in our daily lives. We as a society tend to deny this statement, but if we
were to really look at how we go along with our lives in a daily basis, technology was
used in some sort of way, whether it is directly or indirectly. Advancements in technology
have brought forth the concept of a tablet to our society, affecting our world in both
positive and negative ways. Within this paper, the advantages and disadvantages were
expressed in an unbiased manner, merely stating information that would help mainly
students who find themselves stuck in between deciding what they should buy for their
next semester or year in school. Although many studies and research have been
conducted on this debate, proving both that textbooks are better for students, and that
tablets are a better learning aid for students. The final decision however, will come down
to an individuals personal preference, because just like the color of our skin or our
genetic makeup, everybody is different in his or her own way. Everyone has their own
way of learning and no amount of research or studies can prove otherwise.

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References
By Brian Handwerk, for National Geographic News PUBLISHED Tue Dec 10 10:02:00
EST 2013. (2013). IPads Improve Classroom Learning, Study Finds. Retrieved
October 31, 2015.
Comstock, J. (2013, February 13). MobiHealthNews. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
Crum, M. (2015, February 27). Sorry, Ebooks. These 9 Studies Show Why Print Is Better.
Huff Post. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
Elliott, P. (2013, March 6). The Rise of Tablets as Textbooks. Huff Post. Retrieved
October 12, 2015.

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Giacomini, C., Wallis, P., Haaland, W., & Davis, K. (2013). Exploring eTextbooks at the
University of Washington: What We Learned and What is Next. UW Information
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https://www.washington.edu/itconnect/wpcontent/uploads/2013/10/UWeTextCampusReport.pdf
Grate, R. (2014, September 22). Science Has Great News for People Who Read Actual
Books. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
Rosenwald, M. (2014, February 22). Why digital natives prefer reading in print. Yes, you
read that right. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
Zickuhr, K., & Rainie, L. (2014, September 10). Younger Americans and Public
Libraries. Retrieved October 29, 2015
Wainwright, A. (2012, February 4). 8 Studies Show iPads in the Classroom Improve
Education. Retrieved October 31, 2015