It would also save on student back issues, keeping them from carrying all those books around!

I would say go for it as long as they are still actually reading the books they're supposed to be reading and not just watching a bunch of videos and short cuts

How does one furlough teachers and other school employees, yet afford "new technology"?

Sure, let's give everyone a new toy. Let's ignore the fact that one study said students don't absorb material as well when learned from a computer rather than a book (less mental interaction, more skimming); just as we ignored studies that said there are more athlete injuries on artificial turf compared to grass, when Cobb Co. installed artificial turf at high schools. Doesn't anyone read these scientific studies before making decisions???

A problem that may arise from this is if a student has homework and has to take the tablet home and they break it or lose it, it will cost more to replace the tablet than it would a book. While I agree that technology is such that we should use it to make life a little easier, I'm afraid we will all be a little dumber and fatter because there is less research and less physical activity involved.

No. I'm a software engineer and find this ridiculous. First of all, kids lose their books. Imagine them losing a tablet. Tablets go out of date too quickly, the copyright protections on tablets make it tough to do things like photocopy so you can highlight for personal use (in fact, it may break the DMCA), they run out of battery too quickly (forget your kid bringing your "textbook" to the camping trip). Plus, reading a tablet is much more difficult than reading a book. This is all greedy companies trying to make an extra buck. Don't encourage them.

To add to that, let others be "bleeding edge" with their children and learn all the problems the hard way. Then, perhaps when they refine it well enough and there's been enough scientific studies to show there's specific tablets that work well for learning, only then does it make sense to begin to use them.

Lets lose Common Core and then talk about tablets. Our focus is in the wrong place.

NO

"One district, according to the AP report, is giving more than 2,000 iPads to every student—kindergarten to high-school seniors—with the price tag at $1.2 million. Schools in a Texas city spent $20.5 million to distribute 6,800 iPads."
- wow, every student gets 2,000 iPads. Awesome.

Wow, the Texas city is getting ripped off, paying $3,014 per iPad!!!!
While the other district is paying less than $600 per.

The kids dont need $600 iPads to replace books, but the 1st of 2nd generation Kindle should be less than $100 and you have the problem solved.

I'm wondering, out of all the comments, how many of you are parents? Kids today are using technology. Paper is a thing of the past.

Some people may not have kids in school, but if they pay school tax on their property tax bills, they have a right to comment. Now, if you are over 62, you don't pay school tax any more, but you put a lot of money into it in the past.

An educated community is an economic driver, a benefit to your property values, a safer community, a wealthier community. Georgia doesn't seem to see the greater good of the community. Don't wanna pay, but want the benefits. Doesn't work that way. Not saying tablets are the way to go, but I have never seen so little resources given to our future as in the GABOE. Some schools do better than others, and for those I am grateful.

Of course not ...any professional learning facilitator knows there are different kinds of learners: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.

One way kinesthetic learners learn is through tactile sensation; they need the physical book ...not an ebook.

Seems like the answer is a simple one; make the curriculum downloadable and give parents a voice/choice in the decision. You want to buy your child a tablet to study on, fine, go for it. Just don't make my tax dollars buy one for everyone just for a perceived and unproven ease of operation.