School books should be kept as source of education in both schools' and homes' libraries. in my perspective, "A home without a library with books is incomplete."

I think school books should be kept and technology exposition should be controled some way. Besides of the problems for overexposure to electronic devices, the huge amount of information available nowadays is changing the capacity to deal with depth of knowledge, forcing us to stay in a loop of content. Besides, IA is aggravating the phenomenon, since the content we access is not random anymore but based on our previous accessed information.

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Another great question. I definitely will join anti-textbook or e-textbook allies because it kills students' creativity and critical thinking skills. When we take a look at higher education, it is quite rare for university professors to heavily depend on textbooks to teach. Rather, they will ask students to read and explore around a particular subject, instead of saying "oh you really need to study the textbooks to be smart." Additionally, the reason why some potatoes can become big potatoes in his/her fields is because their learning are guided by their motivation and interest but not how well they can consume textbook knowledge. Also, one of my online teaching opportunities confirmed my stance that textbooks are absolutely useless when textbook developers develop really bad materials (e.g., dense content, meaningless activities, and bla bla bla). That is why textbook adaptations is important.

First we have to decide what we mean by books. Are we referring to the printed version or does the word books include the digital version. Lets analyse the different arguments.

Reasons to Keep Textbooks

Arguments for Replacement or Augmentation

A Hybrid Model: The Best of Both Worlds

The ideal approach may not be to replace textbooks entirely but to integrate them with modern technologies. For example:

• E-textbooks can merge the structured benefits of traditional books with the interactive features of digital tools.
• Supplementing with AI Tools: Textbooks can act as a foundation while AI tools provide additional support, such as instant feedback or adaptive learning pathways.
• Blended Learning: Teachers can combine textbook use with online resources, enabling both depth and breadth of learning.

My Opinion:

The school textbook still holds value, especially in promoting equity, structure, and focus. However, its role must adapt to modern educational needs by incorporating digital tools and AI. Retaining textbooks while embracing technological advancements ensures a balanced, inclusive, and future-ready education system.

It is not necessary to find out the type of text (physical or virtual). The approach should be more pedagogical. How can we identify the type of teaching resource necessary for learning in this particular context? Resources (texts, technologies) are the means, not the ultimate end of education and pedagogy.

Pedagogically the role the school book plays has changed from a source of information to a study tool to help the learners focus and structure their work. If we can use Google or AI to get the information why should we look it up in a book. As a study tool there are still some advantages to it which do not exist when using the technology. For example the issue of reliability and authoritative content. In the book we know who is the writer and can check their credentials (identity is checked by the publisher) this is not that easy if we are dealing with the internet.

The virtual book has a lot of advantages over the physical book which makes it useful and likely to stay with us for some time. For example:

This is why I am saying the physical book is not needed anymore. The digital copy might still be useful as it will have all the advantages of the book but will not have all the difficulties associated with the physical copy.

etc. etc. etc.

Yes, the textbook can be replaced or supplemented as a source of education, but it depends on the context. With advancements in technology, digital tools, online resources, and experiential learning methods can effectively provide diverse and interactive learning experiences. However, textbooks remain a structured and reliable reference, especially in regions with limited access to technology. A balanced approach, integrating traditional textbooks with modern methods, is often ideal for holistic education.

In many cases, the book or rather the syllabus cannot be dispensed with especially in literary, language and theoretical subjects. However, this is becoming less and less a prerequisite in areas like hands-on, applied and experimental studies. Moreover, many geographical, historical, geological, anthropological, touristic, archaeological and the like studies can be turned into videos and filed studies: only a booklet comprising objectives, FAQs, assignments etc may be needed.

الكتاب المدرسي يعد وسيلة من الوسائل التعليمية المعينة في التدريس وليس المصدر الوحيد للمعرفة ويمكن استبداله في حالة توفر مصادر أخرى للمعرفة