In an age when everything is going digital, textbooks should remain in print.
Though many D.C. area schools have recently replaced print textbooks with online textbooks, Montgomery County shouldn’t make the switch.
Fairfax County invested in all-online social studies textbooks in 18 middle and high schools this year, involving almost 8,000 students and 113 teachers, according to the county website. Sure, this frees students from lugging around a heavy textbook, but buying a six-year contract for online textbooks for just one subject will cost Fairfax County $5.3 million.
Montgomery County spends about $9 million on textbooks each year, said Marshall Spatz, MCPS Budget Director. But if online textbooks cost $5.3 million over six years in each subject, print textbooks are a far better option for a cash-strapped school system.
Online textbooks would offer some benefits. They’re more environmentally friendly and accessible anywhere with an internet connection. Most importantly, students wouldn’t have to carry textbooks around in their backpacks. But many teachers don’t actually require students to bring their textbooks to and from class every day. They either have a set of books in the room for classwork or distribute copies of the needed textbook pages. The benefit of online textbooks, therefore, would be insignificant.
Online textbooks would save paper, but there are more convenient ways of going green, such as increased recycling and double-sided class handouts. MCPS should not spend money to conserve paper when so many inexpensive methods are also available.
Internet connection also poses a challenge, as students with bigger families often have to share computers. Limited student access to the internet presents a major problem for schools using online textbooks, Fairfax superintendent Jack Dale admitted to The Washington Post.
Switching to online textbooks would require computers, iPads or other e-readers in classrooms to allow students class-time access. Also, students who want to use their textbook during lunch would have to either go to a computer lab or bring their own laptops.
Power outages or technology malfunctions could cause complications for students who use online textbooks, business administrator James Campbell said. Print textbooks, in contrast, are reliable and work whether or not electricity is available.
Moreover, consistent use of online textbooks has the potential to cause eye problems. The American Optometric Association says that 70 percent of Americans who work on a computer on a daily basis experience eye strain, a symptom of computer vision syndrome. If students are required to look at a computer screen often or for extended periods of time to do homework or reference the text, online textbooks could cause potential health problems.
Online textbooks are more trouble than they’re worth. Many other counties in the D.C. area, like Loudon and Prince William counties, are considering switching to online textbooks, but Montgomery County should avoid this new trend. Sticking to the old-fashioned but dependable paper textbooks is still the better option.
