I think we should use e-textbooks instead of traditional printed textbooks as soon as possible. The publishers change the book versions every year. This would increase the paper demand and cause more waste. In addition, perhaps there are some old books which can be used again. However, they are not usable due to the minor changes. That increases the financial burden for students, especially the poor.
Though someone says it may harm our eyes by staring at the screen too often, it wouldn’t if we use e-books properly. I suggest that after we look at the screen for an hour, we have to let our eyes rest for several minutes. E-textbooks increase learning efficiency significantly. Research shows kids remember more from multimedia elements than words. This helps students gain a better understanding of their subjects. Traditional textbooks contain mostly words. E-textbooks feature a lot of graphics which help raise students’ interest in learning.
Sometimes, we have to copy plenty of notes in a limited time. They are all useful for our studies. We can take a quick shot, then everything can be kept inside our tablet. Nowadays, students carry school bags which are greater than half of their weight.
The major use of school bag is to carry various kinds of books for different subjects. If you get a tablet which contains all your books, would your school bag be lighter?
As e-textbooks are becoming more popular in Hong Kong, the government is trying to persuade schools to use e-textbooks. The government has given credit to e-textbooks. We should make our decision immediately. E-textbooks are good for students indeed.