Pros and cons of e-readers vs. textbooks by Cynthia Boris

Article tweeted by @JudyArtz

The article states that while e-readers and tablets save students from lugging heavy books around they don't really save any money. A textbook might cost $121 while the e-version costs $86. A student could sell the actual text back for around $75 bringing the total cost down to $54 nevermind the cost of the tablet or e-reader. Another advantage to traditional textbooks is being able to annotate them. The e-reader is very difficult to navigate and doesn't allow easy annotation. Tablets are much better because they much like regular computers that have text mapping and annotation tools.
This article is relevant because I have heard some speculation that CPS might move to e-readers or tablets rather than traditional texbooks. While I agree that there is great value in tablets other than just e-text I think e-readers would be a waste of money. High school students would benefit greatly from not having to bring heavy textbooks to school every day. I knew there was a reason that I didn't ever want to buy a Kindle but now I actually know why. I'm getting a tablet as soon as I can afford one or someone gives me one. It has much more value than e-readers. I hope to have one soon, for the classroom and personal use.