Biggest barrier to integrating e-books in schools is “no budget for e-books”

This web site, E-booksandKids.com, polled more than 225 educators in the United States and learned that the largest barrier to introducing e-books in the classroom is the fact that no budget has been allocated to acquire e-books and applications for tablets and readers.

57% of responders selected “No budget to purchase applications/e-books” as an answer to the question “What do you perceive as the biggest challenge to integrating tablets into your lessons?”

Full results to the question are as follows. Responders could select more than one answer.

• 57% No budget to purchase applications/e-books
• 17% Don’t know how to evaluate or guide kids in their tablet use
• 16% Don’t understand how applications integrate into my lesson plans
• 8% Don’t know how to get applications/e-books
• 7% Applications/e-books aren’t educational enough
• 7% The technology is confusing
• 22% Other

The write in answers to the “other” option varied. Many were concerned with controlling students who visit other, non-curriculum parts of the web using the devices, lack of tech support, and perception that tablets are not appropriate for the subject matter taught (such as art or PE or classes for disabled children.