Schools should switch to using e-books

"Kids graffiti on books since it is hard to look through every page and find every scribble, making it an "easy way to be rebellious". Only an idiot would graffiti on an eBook because it is easier to be caught doing it." This is a statement completely driven by opinion. You don't know if a kid would or would not graffiti an eBook because it's easier to see than books. I know people that vandalize bathrooms, desks, tables, etc. in our school, and the vandalism is very "easy" to see with those things. One thing I know for certain is whether I am drawing/writing something offensive or vulgar on a book or an eBook, I can do it with just 30 seconds of time, and so could every other kid that wants to. "Carrying many heavy books over a long period of time is bad for one's health, and some schools even check the students for posture because of this! They would save money if they didn't have to hire the doctors for the day (where I'm from there aren't any school nurses). Bad posture is not a good thing to have. It can cause worse problems (such as a bad back or even collapsing) later on. The only possible health concern with an eBook is eyestrain, and that is only if the reader uses a backlit screen (most eBooks have a paper-like screen)." You haven't provided proof that carrying too many books at one time will cause bad posture. Besides, you stated in your argument that eBooks cause eyestrain. So, we're going to a product that "causes" health problems (textbooks) to a product that...causes health problems (eBook). I don't see how that is an improvement, even if carrying a lot of books causes health posture. Your tree argument doesn't quite add up. Textbook/book paper is just as recyclable as toilet paper and cloth napkins. Paper is paper, it's all recyclable. So, when a school wants to get new textbooks, they buy the new textbooks, and the old ones go to be recycled or donated. Paper isn't necessarily going to waste when it comes to textbooks. "If each textbook cost $90, and each student requires 5, that's 90x5 = $450 to supply 5 textbooks that have a lifespan of about 4-7 years. An eBook reader costs 100 dollars, and it should have a lifespan of 4-7 years or so (same as a textbook), and the textbooks should be free or cheaper for the school because the school will have a license. (Let's say the school pays 700 dollars for a license to download the book onto e-book readers without having to pay for every download). That's 100 dollars per student, plus the licenses that apply to the whole school. The higher consequences of a broken e-book may actually be a "deterrent" that prevents students from losing the eBook reader or scribbling on it, and risks of dropping it can be minimalized by using a rugged casing purchased at the store. A rugged casing can cost about 60 dollars, which is about the same as what most people spend on book covers (each book cover costs $3 x five books a year x 4 years = $60)" Once again, that's $100 for the eBook, $700 for the license, and $60 for the cover. That totals to $860. That's much more than the 5 textbooks that you estimate to be $450. Plus, the cost to download each individual book would send that cost even higher. Here's a link to an eBook download store. These books still cost money to download, unlike what you have stated in your argument. (http://www.ebooks.com...) To conclude this debate, eBooks would be more expensive than textbooks and eBooks wouldn't be any better than textbooks. That makes a transition from eBooks to textbooks pointless, a waste of time, and most importantly, a waste of money.