No More Pencils – No More Books!

I was stunned. I was at the bookstore with my son to buy his college textbooks and was aghast that several of them cost more than $100 each! Why haven’t textbooks gotten smaller, lighter and cheaper over time the way computers and so many other things have done? And if textbooks have gotten more expensive, have they gotten better?

When I was in high school there were some math concepts I just didn’t “get.” My mother arranged for my teacher to tutor me after school. Within a month my tutor filled in those critical skill gaps and I finally “got it.” I could apply these skills in new areas – from algebra to physics, to chemistry, stats, etc. I was really unstoppable once I had this solid foundation.

What magic textbook did my tutor use? He didn’t use any textbook at all. He had a good sense of what I was supposed to know at that grade and he gave me some problems to figure out if I knew how to do those things. If I didn’t, he worked through the steps so I knew what to do.

Are textbooks better than other tools? In the last few years I have seen engaging software tools and resources that take learning to a whole new level. Simulations, animations and videos bring things to life in ways printed materials can’t.

While my math textbook showed me a few examples while modern day simulation tools let a student create an infinite number of their own examples and scenarios..

Should children continue to use textbooks? It’ss definitely easier to hand out a book and know each student can access the material at home, on the bus, in the library and the classroom without specialized equipment, connectivity or power. It’s nice to know exactly what each student is looking at on a particular page.

But can we reach a state where no one needs pencil and paper and instead, interactive computer-based tools bring fresher information with up-to-the-second corrections, unlimited examples and a sense of control? A book can’t learn what you’ve done and make recommendations for what you need to do next. A learning management system can.

Can we usher in a world of “no more pencils, no more books?” What are the advantages of a textbook? Do you think there’s a better way? Is there a way to implement this better way? I welcome your ideas and feedback.

John Stuppy, john@tutorvista.com