Digital books, e-readers and electronic data is prevalent in homes and schools. As more and more students use tablets and laptops for educational purposes, it is easy to assume that digital content is as good as paper, just more convenient. This interesting information came to us from WDRZ in North Dakota in their article, “Recent study shows paper textbooks have upper hand over digital format.”
With tablets, smartphones, and computers taking over, today’s students learn differently than previous generations. They are the first generation to grow up surrounded by technology like this, since those gadgets have become extremely common in the classroom.
However, according to a study done by one academic journal, students retain and comprehend information better when it is read out of a textbook rather than a digital form. And, although there were some mixed opinions, many students agreed.
Students were in agreement that e-textbooks are cheaper than hard copies, even used books, but sometimes the extra cost for the real thing has added benefits – student notes from previous years, for one.
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Data Harmony, a unit of Access Innovations, the world leader in indexing and making content findable.
