Online/E-textbooks or Printed Textbooks?

Do you find online/e-textbooks useful to study from?

No I do not find online/e-textbooks useful to study because I can get easily distracted, can't take notes/write on it, and its bad to look at a computer screen for a long time.  When I’m on the computer studying or doing homework, I get distracted by Facebook and the games I can play.  I lose about 2 hours and that 2 hours can be used to finish at least two different homework.  "There's always the temptation to click on a link, check email, monitor Facebook activity or play a quick game of angry birds." (Carr) Even when I’m doing this homework I’m constantly distracted by the things around me and the temptation of checking my email.  When I use textbooks, I usually write notes on it with a pencil reminding me what to do next time I come around this page to study.  But if you’re on a computer using a textbook online, the only thing you can do is probably print it.  But there is always that chance of losing the paper. “You can write anywhere and in any form on any page of a book and you can keep many different books open simultaneously.” (Carr)  I wouldn’t be distracted and have 5 different web sites on and looking at one at a time.  I just can’t manage to finish my work in time when I’m on the computer. 

          “Augusta, Maine, is even planning on giving its kindergartners Ipads for the coming year.” (Carr)  Why would parents want little kids that are 6 to 7 use Ipads?  It will disrupt their learning and it will give them bad eye sight in the future.  Technology equipments cannot just take away printed textbooks because some people say printed textbooks are better than online ones.  “500 undergraduates at University of California were asked to compare printed books with e-books.  Most of the students said they still preferred reading from pages rather than from screens.” (Carr)  I think it is harder to do work on the computer because there is a lot that you can on it.  If you are using the printed textbooks, then the only thing you can really focus on is reading it without any distractions.

Do you find technology in general useful to your education?

Yes technology is useful to my education because if the textbook I’m using doesn’t help me so much, then I can always have a back and use the computer.  I can also find out if I had homework on the portal or even email people to ask about it.  I use the computer if I have trouble with a word, if I need to contact a friend, or sometimes use it for school purposes.  Technology has become advanced that you can pretty much do anything.  It’s hard not to use it for education purposes.  I have friends who use Ipads to take notes in class.  If I had an Ipad to take notes with, I would probably fail the class because I would be playing games.