Nine-hundred-page textbooks have continued to strain students’ backs and slow them down. The excessive amounts of binders and books that we are forced to carry around is not only strenuous but possibly detrimental to how class will go that day. Forgetting to bring a textbook to class or even worse, losing a textbook altogether, results in zeroes on homework grades and extensive fees.

Online textbooks offer easy access at all times and lighten the load that we have to carry around. They can be accessed anywhere through the internet with Wi-Fi for computer devices and can even be accessed off of Wi-Fi on cell phones through 4G or LTE. In today’s world it is rare to find a high school student who does not own a cell phone or some sort of alternative device such as a tablet or laptop. Even if a student did not have a device of their own, it is more than likely that either a parent or friend would be willing to share their technology. If all else fails, a public library is always an option, and if that means a switch to spare back pains and save some trees, it is worth it.

Due to the percentages of students partaking in modern technology is so high, there is no reason why schools should not take that involvement to their advantage. Every year students are handed a new collection of textbooks, and every year they end up at the bottom of their lockers with no purpose other than to clutter. This disregard of the bulky blocks that are given to students is not only a waste of paper, but a wasted opportunity to better our education. Online textbooks have already given students a useful alternative to lugging around heavy books. We already know that the utilization of online reading works and not only with online textbooks. Kindles and Nooks have become popular across the globe, and it is time that a similar innovation be made to all schools.

Transitioning from paper to online textbooks would not only be beneficial for the education of all students but also for the lives of all trees.