From Opening Books to Opening Computers

The realm of education has undergone a vast transformation within the last decade, with digital and handheld textbooks being the two dominant forms of learning. With both methods coming with advantages and limitations, it is crucial to look into every aspect of the two. With the quickly advancing technology, traditional learning from handheld textbooks is slowly being replaced. Although technological advancements within the last few years have allowed many to explore new forms of learning, the COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst for online learning to skyrocket, as schools across the country had to adapt. 

Now that there have been more years of experience with online learning, there are still new things to explore as technology continues to evolve. However, not all teachers and students adjusted as fast to the change of teaching. Mr. Christianson, a teacher at Waukee High School shares that he was “leery of the new technology” before Waukee introduced online learning. “When school was done remotely beginning in March of 2020, I learned Google Classroom, I liked it,” Christianson states. Many teachers who have had experience with both online and textbook teaching have similar perspectives on this. Mrs. McCarthy shares her opinion on the two, stating “ I have used both handheld and digital textbooks. I am comfortable using both, but my personal preference is digital. I favor it from an organizational standpoint. I don’t have to take a lesson plan book, a textbook, and stacks of essays home for planning and grading”. 

Although students have had more experience with technology than most teachers, many still have different opinions surrounding the way they learn. Sriya Munjuluri, a sophomore at Waukee expresses her perspective, stating “I prefer digital textbooks over hand-held books mainly because of how much easier it is to access. Also, annotating things like notes are much easier when online which comes in handy”. Both students and teachers seem to be gaining more experience with digital learning, making it the preferred method when comparing the two. 

While both online learning and textbook learning come with their advantages and disadvantages, it’s clear that both are sufficient enough to use in schools worldwide. With such large amounts of differences between the two, it comes down to individual preference and targeted goals to decide which one is most suitable. As technology continues to advance, students and teachers are starting to favor it over the former textbook learning. Despite this, a mixture of both forms of learning can offer a balanced and effective educational experience.