Italy pupils ditch books for PCs

I, for one, think it is a wonderful idea, it's one I thought of back in 8th grade as a solution to back problems among students. (I fell over backwards once b/c my backpack weighed more than I did, very humiliating) One laptop weighs WAY less than several textbooks.

I think it's great overall. It provides students a capability to read e-books, as well as work on projects/assignments, as well as interact and use tools sooner than having to step from one piece to another (ie. familiarize with CAD software while learning geometry principles to be in tandem, rather than excelling at one over the other separately).

Of course, this will work far better for the students than for the teachers, so long as the teachers are familiar with the tools they're using. Unfortunately, most teachers are very slow (if even capable) of curbing their curriculum to a new teaching method, so the overall progress will be seen way down the road, not necessarily in the near future.

I think this is great. This is the future of education.

It might be that cheap for the laptop but you are still going to need the software and reliable information. Transfering completely to computers is removing cerain aspects of learning, they have their place. Can you imagine trying to sit 30 kids in front of computers for 5 hours a day.............

I couldn't do it. Call me old fashioned, but I like being able to read a book and turn pages, underline things, and make notes in the margins. I'm all about teaching computer literacy at school, but keep it as a separate subject.

Oh, and are they also going to offer free eye exams and prescriptions from too much screen time?

I wouldn't like staring at a computer all day. It hurts your eyes. Books are better!

I have mixed feelings on this. Ultimately though, I can't imagine that doing away with books is a positive thing. Is it just text books though? Or all books?

It's a good idea, but computers are generally unreliable in my opinion. Especially when kids get hold of them.

They will probably spend half their time fixing issues.

I like the "old school" method better, books, notebooks, and a good ole' chalkboard. I bet most of those kids will be IM'ing thier friends or on Myspace.

I am a believer that books will never be replaced, not for many years at least, by computer technology, but this experiment could prove me wrong.

i have work with kid before and thing this would be s good idea for middle school or high school childred. elementry school i would hope it work

this is really cool

Bad Idea!

ditching the books is crazy!!! computers are a tool to HELP educate us, not to replace the fundementals of reading and writting...especially at that age,moderation is the key for such an experiment.

Good, start the kids young. They're just going to have to stare at a computer all day everyday for the rest of their lives, why should they be coddled in school?

Man up ya babies!

MISTAKE

It's about time. Textbooks are virtually obsolete coming off the printing press & ridiculously expensive while an alternative form of learning is finally being utilized. All a student needs is a laptop computer, which shouldn't be too difficult one way or another in this day & age, & an inexpensive workbook to accompany the class. Any necessary software can be obtained by the school district. Computers have been available for student use in schools for years.

With such young & mobile students these days, there's no excuse for not being able to handle assignments at other than traditional study times, especially with the changes many parents are going through. With the economy such a mess, families are forced to deal with new & changing situations more quickly than ever now. I can’t believe how heavy some of those backpacks look on children. There is no better time than right now to get students computer savvy as young as possible-it’s the future & the future is now.

This is a great idea, textbooks are outdated. A textbook is only good for a few years before it needs to be replaced, and they weigh a ton. I remember how much my backpack weighed when I was in middle school, not fun to lug around all day!

Actually, this is basic how my graduate program works. A few people buy the textbooks still, most of use get them offline. It's totally electronic from the teacher uploads the powerpoint lectures to the taking notes in Microsoft OneNote. My entire curriculum is on my laptop and if anything happened to it, I would be useless. That I think is the only downside, that EVERYTHING is on it. Other than that, I love not carrying loose leaf paper and 5 different textbooks around. Plus, it's a tablet!

As a future educator (art), I am really interested in how this will turn out. There are some things that cannot be taught by computers. I also hope that in the future there will still be a need for teachers, and that we are not replaced by computers!

No matter how advanced (or small) our computers get, nothing will suffice a good book, be it a text book or general fiction book. You just miss something entirely when you read off of a PDF file.

No matter how much we fight it
This is the future
It ends the debate over funding and inner city schools

We must have a Manhattan project like focus on educating the younger generation

Rosetta Stone, Math Blaster, Reading Blaster.
They're superior to spanish, math and reading class

We must use this for at least learning and mastering the basics

Oh, I forgot to mention that is DOES provide a distraction during class. Its kinda funny to look around and see more people facebooking than taking notes. But then again, a good student would turn off the WiFi but most of us don't especially when your teacher isnt a very good lecturer.

Paper production is a filthy truth that people like to ignore. This industry is the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the U.S. Paper also makes up for 34% of solid waste in this country. There's also the ink and the bleach/chlorine-based substances used on the paper. Because of the digital aspect of an eBook, fuel/transportation to distribute it to stores isn't necessary; thus having less impact on the environment.

So why not use a computer or an eBook reader that could hold the same amount of information in one portable device? forget about carrying all that weight on your back.

If you think about it.. that's where we're headed. Just look at the music industry and the ipods.

This is not just about convenience. There are kids who, without access to a computer, can't do a one page report. Books are around for a reason.