iPad Replacing Many Textbooks In 600 School Districts

Students throughout the United States are spending more time viewing textbooks on iPads. According to Apple 600 school districts in the country have begun giving out or will soon be giving out iPads for some select classes.

One principal told the Associated Press that textbooks are

“Pretty much outdated the minute they’re printed and certainly by the time they’re delivered.”

Not only can iPads end up costing less than a years supply of hardcover and paperback textbooks, a return on investment continues to pass on savings over the life of the device

The iPad experiment also makes sense since children are already very much connected in today’s society and therefore they find it easier to take notes while flipping through electronic pages, education videos and homework submission forms.

In terms of Textbook sales, publishers aren’t throwing in the towel, while iPad versions of certain textbooks may be less expensive for students, they also offer the ability to upsell new versions to educators at a more rapid clip, allowing for increased sales in the $5.5 billion textbook publishing business.

While 600 school districts is still a small percentage of all schools in the United States, the experiment is meant to determine which subjects would make a good fit for iPad learning, while also testing the financial feasibility of replacing traditional textbooks with a new electronic medium.

Do you think Apple iPad’s in our school system is a smart move for today’s technology savvy student base?