Textbooks or Tablets?

 It is a question that followed, not too far behind, recent advances in technology.  Yes, textbooks are heavy and have the potential to cause back problems, but textbooks are the better of the two.  Tablets allow the students to highlight what they’re reading, (if they can read off of the bright screen without getting a headache) but, although many teachers disapprove, textbooks can also be highlighted or have notes taken in them. The digital screens of tablets can make it hard for one to concentrate on what they’re supposed to be learning. Not only does the bright light make it difficult, but there is also the option of downloading and playing games or surfing the web, something that is all too tempting for students. Since we’re on the topic of surfing the web, many students live in homes that do not have the Wi-Fi connection they would need in order to do assignments. Printed textbooks cannot freeze, crash, or get hacked, unlike their competitor, the tablet.  Tablets, although they weigh a fraction of the amount of textbooks students are forced to carry, cost a significant amount more than textbooks alone would. Hundreds of textbooks are ruined and/or lost every year; it doesn’t make sense to give the same irresponsible students a piece of equipment that can be so easily broken and lost. It has been proven that people who read print text comprehend more, remember more, and learn more than those who read digital text.