Ebook or Textbook?

direw0lf, BSN · Aug 30, 2015

Pros: You can press control and F to find a word or phrase in the ebook so in that way it's easy to navigate. It saves trees :) You can type notes next to the pages. And is almost always at your fingertips.

Honestly I've been preferring ebooks lately for school...mostly for the prices and the control/f is so easy to find things. (But for pleasure reading I want my own actual book to collect!!)

One of my teachers doesn't allow laptops in class though and wants us to use sticky notes in an actual book and write a short summary of the paragraph on the sticky note. So that's important to check.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2015

Hate, despise, loath, detest, abhor...ebooks.

Did I mention I can't stand them?!?!

Too difficult to find info quickly. No way to mark notes on the pages. Allowed open book tests are useless b/c you can't have both the book right there in your face and the test up at the same time.

Can't stand reading that much info on a computer screen...and on the phone its even worse.

give me a regular 'old school' paper book anytime.

One of my classes is ONLY an ebook that comes with the program (McGraw Hill Connect) its called a SmartBook, except its pretty stupid. No easy way to go thru chapters or find info. But I can get a loose-leaf version for another $95! The program with the ebook was more than that. honestly thinking about putting out the $95 for the loose leaf!

SunkissedRN2b · Sep 6, 2015

Not a fan of the eBook unless I can print out individual chapters. Otherwise, it's annoying and not good on my eyes.

BeachsideRN, ASN · Sep 7, 2015

I hate ebooks. My program "required" them (or so they told us at orientation, not factual at all). I ended up buying used hard copies to study from.

BeachsideRN, ASN · Sep 7, 2015

The only feature I don't hate about ebooks is that your device will read the chapter to you. It's a crazy computer voice but pretty nice when you can't sit down to read.

Sabryna2015 · Sep 7, 2015

I like the Ebooks I have because of the resources they come with. Plus I can't imagine having to lug around all of the books I need for class. If you don't mind being on the computer or tablet they can be great. And from what I've found it really isn't that hard to find the right info if you understand your reader.

MeiDei · Sep 7, 2015

Hi everyone,
I am very undecided about what I should use during nursing school. Ebooks or textbooks? I need to decide soon since school starts October 1st. What are your thoughts or suggestions on this and what are you using?

I will say that I have both. Since our ebooks come with course point and prepu, we were required to get the ebooks. Now the perks are that they get online updates and videos for the ebooks through lippincott for certain ones. Now, I LOVE my Kindle. I do. But I HATE it for etexts. I have given myself migraines, my eyes hurt after a while, and I seriously despise flipping back and forth just to get to the page I need. So, that being said...I bought hard copies and I am in heaven. They may be more expensive and heavy as heck, but I NEEDED them. Hope this helps!

AngelKissed857, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2015

I just started the ADN program last month, and we were offered an E book bundle and traditional books. Getting both cost about $400. more than just the e books. I prefer my traditional books, but am learning the very cool features of my ebooks as well. We use Elselvier btw. I can search a subject in ALL the ebooks at the same time, go directly to each, make notes that attach to the book, highlight in 100's of colors, code those colors, like pink is all Urinary, or blue is all Exam 1, then go back just by color choice, or print all by the color to review.

Each chapter of each book has a key points and key terms. The key points is basically a one page chapter summary. Key terms is your vocabulary with definitions. I'm away for the long weekend with my family and only brought 2 books and my laptop but have everything I need to study. I'm very glad I got both.

littlepeopleRNICU · Sep 7, 2015

I would choose textbooks, and I am someone who loves reading for leisure on a nook...but for school, there is easier access to just opening up right to a page. You can flag important pages, highlight in textbooks, write in textbooks, etc. I know some ebooks let you do notes and "highlight", but it just isn't the same.

Plus, as organized said, having to do all the scrolling to find your pages. Like I said before, much easier to turn to a flagged page than all that mess. No thanks!

ThatOneDude822 · Sep 7, 2015

I hate ebooks alone. If they come WITH the textbook (some books come with an acces code that includes the ebook), then it's okay to use as a supplement.

In anatomy, my book came with an access code that included the ebook. I studied out kf the regular book, but in lab I used the ebook on my ipad to help identify structures, because the ipad took up less space than the book (our lab was very small, and our class had about 36 people, which works out to 18 dissection cats, so space was limited).

Besides, most textbooks have a page inside (more often than not it's the first page, usually made out of card stock) that says something like "for more resources please visit (this website)." And the resources are usually free.

For example, one of the books I had to get for nursing fundamentals links to a website that has videos, podcast summaries for each chapter, crossword puzzles, printable info, etc. I really don't see a need for the "fancy" e-book stuff when most texts offer free supplemental info like this.

In the end, it's all up to preference. I just get very distracted with ebooks and find them overrated. Plus, the ones I've looked at cost more for an e-rental than it costs to BUY the used physical text.

blah_blah_blah · Sep 8, 2015

physical copy all the way. In my opinion, it is easier to flip around in a text book when it is a physical copy. When you're in nursing school you'll be using your books A LOT. Studying, care plans, doing various assignments, etc. When I was in school I used the index in my book constantly to find information easier. It's a lot easier to use an index than a search function on a ebook.

When you use the index, that page definitely has relevant information about that subject. If you search a word in an ebook, it will highlight wherever that word appears in the text, whether it's relevant or not. For example, you can look in the index for "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" and the index will tell you where it is discussed in the text. If you search that same phrase in an ebook, it will tell you wherever that appears in the text even if it's only mentioned in passing and not really what you're looking for, if that makes sense.

I used to also stick pens and sticky notes in the pages to hold my spot when doing assignments and it made it a lot easier to just flip to that page. Thats a lot harder to do in an ebook. I'm all for ebooks for leisure reading, but when it comes to school, I will absolutely not use an ebook. Not to mention, you have to worry about the device you're using to view your e books running out of battery. you'll always have to be near an outlet with a charger.

But ultimately, it's up to you. Maybe you can get an e book for a prerequisite or an elective class and see how you like it.

QuietRiot · Sep 12, 2015

I HATE, no despise ebooks! I tried to use ebooks for micro & A&P because they were cheaper. But I just couldn't get over the scrolling & scrolling & nothing was easier with the ebooks. But that is my opinion, maybe you would like the ebook. I missed having the physical copy in my hand. I will never use another ebook again!

Lol, I hate them too. It's just something about having the physical copy.