This is a very interesting topic to me because in some ways I was given both methods to learn from. I will be able to research as well as use firsthand accounts of what both methods provide and how they affect the student. I am also interested because I enjoy researching the progression of technology through our society. This question doesn't directly affect anything in my life however it could have such an impact on the youth that it could send a ripple through the generations. Personally when I was in school I did not enjoy constantly having assignments online. To me the deadlines were too hard to remember and assignments in general were just different since they were not on paper. It was always easier for me to remember to finish a worksheet instead of going online and using so module to help me learn. Now that I am in college and my textbooks are no longer given to me I can easily see the argument of the other side. It would definitely be beneficial and cost effective to have all of your textbooks in one place. It would also be much cheaper to upgrade to the newest edition when the time came.

Textbooks to Tablets: Preparing for Digital Education by 2017

Dawn Reiss, a freelance writer, thinks that textbooks should be replaced by tablet. She believes that the benefits heavily outweigh the drawbacks. She mostly says that tablets are more readily available to update to this ever changing world. She also claims that the money currently being spent on refurbishing textbooks would go much farther if spent on this new technology.

The values that are heavily being stressed in this article are education and responsible spending. She is able to tie the two together by saying that due to inadequate spending it is causing a lapse in the quality of material which leads to lowered education standards.

 What makes this article credible is the sources that she chooses to pull from. For example she quotes the executive director of the Digital Promise. She also chooses to direct this article straight at the District Administration. Most people would view this as something someone would do only if they knew they had something to fight with. 

If You Wonder

The main claim of this article was that this method has been tried before and it worked very well. Kellman Brown focuses his article on the fact that many schools have tried this same type thing with laptops and the success rate was very promising. Test scores were up, any written work seemed to be better, and participation in the classroom was up.

Education is the major value that is focused on in this article. The ethics of cost is mentioned but is heavily outweighed by the fact that the positives of the learning outcomes would counteract it. This article also provides insight into what actually makes the tablet program works which broadens the topic all together.

The author of this article is similar to that of the last article. They themselves do not necessarily have credibility however they use fact and quotes from others that are known to have credibility on the topic. Kellman Brown is an advocate for the advancement of technology so naturally his articles will be in their favor.

Do Textbooks Have a Fighting Chance

The point of this article is to compare the tablets to the textbooks. The whole theme is regardless of opinion do textbooks even have a chance at being relevant? She uses facts about both sides and is able to formulate a solution that seems very good. Only allow tablets to those who are old enough and mature enough to use them properly.

The issue being discussed here is the actual use of the product. Since the decision was reached to not allow younger students to have it the main focus was why. As it turns out using tablets would be cost effective just not for the younger kids who would constantly break or misuse them.

This paper is generally unbiased but is presented different than the other papers. Instead of just using facts and numbers they actually asked what other peoples opinions were on the topic and why they felt that way. This article will appeal to more people who want to know the opinions of both the teachers and the parents of the students.

This is an arguable topic because there are supporters and facts to back both sides. Many people see the relevance of using new technology while others are skeptical of how well it will actually work. The solution that many seem to lean towards is implementing the new technologies later on in the student's life when they become more ready for it. The argument then comes with the proper use of the items and what they will be allowed to do with them. I am definitely in favor of this solution and can see it benefitting a lot of students and school programs.

