With the advancement in technology, electronic books have become more popular. There has been a great deal of discussion on whether paper textbooks should be replaced by e-books in school. Some people believe that using e-books is more convenient and easy. However, some also insist that the feeling of using e-books can never resemble that of using traditional paper textbooks. Although adopting e-books has its own advantages, I think it can never replace reading paper textbooks entirely.
First and foremost, using e-books for a long period of time may cause health problems. If e-books replace paper textbooks entirely, students will need to spend at least eight hours a day reading on the computer screen, including both the lesson and revision time. Not only will it make our eyes become exhausted easily, but it will cause many eye problems like short-sightedness and even cataract. Moreover, computers will emit harmful radiation which may lead to cancer. All these harmful effects are only brought by e-books, but never the paper textbooks. It is undoubtedly true that e-books should not replace paper textbooks.
Besides, the adoption of e-books can distract students’ learning. There are so many things students can do using the computer, for example, surfing the internet and playing online games. Therefore, it is difficult for students to concentrate on their study. It is also impossible for parents and teachers to monitor what students do all the time. Moreover, the computer, as an electronic product, may sometimes be out of order. It will definitely cause inconvenience to students. For example, if the device is broken, they will have textbooks to refer to in the lessons or cannot do revision before tests and exams. Thus, it is obvious that using e-books is not as convenient as using paper textbooks.
Another factor to be concerned is that using e-books is actually much more expensive than using paper textbooks. It costs a least a few thousand dollars to buy a computer and the fees for repairs and maintenance are also high. All these will certainly be a heavy burden for the poor families. It will not be a good idea to replace paper textbooks completely by e-books.
However, there are also people who believe that e-books can replace paper textbooks. They claim that students do not have to carry many heavy paper books because all the materials can be stored in one portable electronic device. Although it seems to be convenient, it actually brings harm to students’ health as discussed above. As it is not worth sacrificing health in exchange for convenience, e-books can never replace paper textbooks.
In addition, some people argue that e-books are more environmentally friendly than paper textbooks as fewer trees will be cut if fewer books are printed. However, it is in fact not totally correct. Although reading on the computer screen can save a lot of paper, it will induce another problem. Using the electronic device means consuming a large amount of energy, which in fact is using up a lot of natural resources. Using e-books is by no means more environmentally friendly.
In conclusion, the drawbacks of using e-books to replace traditional paper textbooks outweigh the benefits. After considering the pros and cons, I believe that e-books can never replace paper textbooks entirely.