Opening and Closing Debate Statement

Opening:Tablets should not replace textbooks in the classroom setting.Tablets are an

expensive distraction for students that are easy to break and cause many health issues.

These issues include but are not limited to: Eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, dry

eyes, neck and shoulder pains, and many more. In the article, “Tablets vs Textbooks”

at Procon.org, it states that, “Over 90% of educational textbooks are still read on paper,

and only 30% of textbook titles are available electronically”. In the same article, it says,

“Costs for e­textbooks on iPad tablets are 552% higher than new print textbooks in an

average high school”. Again, using that article, it states, “Annual cost per student per

class with tablets is $71.55 vs. $14.26 for print textbooks.” Also in the article, “Can

IPads for all students boost learning”, Ebscohost writes, “Education Week reported on

research that found reading comprehension suffers with the use of digital devices”. In

the same article it states, “Students are inclined to skim when reading digitally, the

studies indicated, and they remember fewer details.” Not only do we run into these

types of issues, but theres more. In order to have a fully functioning system based on

the tablets, teachers would have to go through a training to learn how to use them to

benefit students and help them improve in the current curriculum. Another issue for the

teachers would be that this gives students even more excuses as to why they can’t do

their homework seeing as the textbook would be online which requires wi­fi. In the U.S.

61% of households have wifi at home. That still leaves 39% without it or 48 million 59

thousand three hundred and ten households without wifi. Not only is that a concern, but

in proven studies and from personal experience we know that tablets can be really

distracting instead of helpful and can be used to access non­school appropriate things...