Werner 1 Colleen Werner Ruthe Thompson Academic Writing 30 November 2010 Studying?

Theres an App for That Its not hard to see why ebooks are becoming more popular. Ereaders like the Kindle, the Nook, and the Reader are cheaper than ever. Several websites have been launched for the sole purpose of providing free ebooks for the masses. Most book retailers are selling ebooks in their online stores. Many newspapers and magazines are making their publications available electronically and on ereaders. With more people having access to these tools, publishers and distributors are taking advantage of this. Another group that should be taking advantage of this isnt so far. Schools and universities should be more open to e-textbooks. Its true: more and more universities are allowing students to use e-textbooks in place of print textbooks. This fall, Southwest Minnesota State University began to distribute ebooks from their bookstore through Barnes & Noble. These ebooks are readable on a computer, and since most students have their own computers, bringing their etextbooks to class is as simple as bringing their laptops. But why would students decide to buy ebooks instead of print textbooks? Cost, of course. The average student spends $900 on textbooks every year (Solution), and theres no doubt that figure will continue to climb. E-textbooks, however, cost 54% less than most new print textbooks (Solution). True, the e-file is usually only good for a semester or at most, five years, but most students sell back their textbooks at the end of the semester at a fraction of the cost, so most wouldnt have a problem with this. University students arent the only ones that could benefit from ebooks. The average textbook for an elementary, middle, or high school student costs $165 to $185 (Future). While this doesnt come directly out of a students pocket (unless they misplace their book and need to replace it), textbooks are a major expense for most schools. If a school has around two-thousand students, textbooks can run over a quarter of a million dollars. This price is especially steep when you consider that its recommended that textbooks be update every three years (Future). If a school were to use e-textbooks instead of print textbooks, they could save thousands of dollars, and updating them could be as easy as updating software. One issue with this is that instead of buying textbooks, schools would be saddled with the expense of buying $100 to $900 ereaders or tablet computers for each of their students. But ereaders would be a one-time buy (or a few times, if a few students lost

Werner 1 or damaged their ereaders) instead of an every-three-years buy like print textbooks, saving money in the long run. Its also worth mentioning that most electronics companies are willing to offer discounts to organizations using their products for educational purposes; companies would most likely jump at the chance to sell their ereaders or tablet computers at a reduced cost to schools, seeing it as a good way to get publicity. Organizations could offer grants or the government could offer incentives to schools willing to switch from print textbooks to etextbooks. Considering their expense, ereaders may still out of the question for some schools. But as mentioned earlier, most ebooks are readable on a computer. Instead of buying expensive ereaders, schools could use their computer labs as smart classrooms. Ereaders offer another cost saving measure: storage. Storing two-thousand ereaders takes up far less space than storing several thousand textbooks. With the saved storage space, schools could thin out over-crowded classrooms. Ereaders are not only a good tool for traditional students, but are revolutionary for special-needs and alternative learning students. For students that dont learn in the traditional read-and-memorize style, interactive software and workbooks can be offered (Public Interest). If a student were using an Apple product, they could use educational apps from the iTunes app store as study aids. Font size and style and page color can be adjusted for students with vision problems (Dyslexia). Some tablet computers, such as the iPad, have a text-to-speech option for students with reading disabilities such as dyslexia (Dyslexia), and many ereaders have a built-in dictionary so students can look up the definitions and pronunciations of difficult words (5 Ways). Many ereaders also have an option for notes (5 Ways), which can be helpful for students who struggle with note-taking, whether because of dexterity issues or attention problems (an option that could also eliminate textbook graffiti). While it will take at least a few years for schools to get warmed up to the idea of using e-textbooks, it will certainly be an option in future years.

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Works Cited

A Cover to Cover Solution: How Open Textbooks are the Path to Textbook Affordability. The Student PRIGs. N.p., 30 Sept. 2010. Web. http://www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks-reports/a-cover-to-cover-solution
Bernard, Sarah. Are E-Readers Helpful for Dyslexia? Mind/Shift. KQED, 2 Nov. 2010. Web. http://mindshift.kqed.org/2010/11/are-e-readers-helpful-for-dyslexia/ MacManus, Richard. 5 Ways That eBooks Are Better Than Paper Books. ReadWriteWeb. N.p., 10 Aug. 2010. Web. http://www.readwriteweb.com /archives/5_ways_that_ebooks_are_better_than_paper_books.php Sather, Sarah. In the Public Interest: Open Textbooks and the Tech-Friendly Generation. Huffington Post. Six Apart, 30 Sept. 2010. Web. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-sather/i-in-the-publicinterest_b_745672.html Zelchenko, Peter. The future brings with it both good and bad. Planet eBook. N.p., 29 Apr. 2001. Web. http://www.planetebook.com/mainpage.asp

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