Textbooks on the way out?

 Textbooks are a staple in almost every classroom. Starting in middle school, I had a textbook in almost every single one of my classes. Because of how commonplace textbooks are, I was surprised to hear them described as "historical non-fiction". At first, I was confused by this description but when I learned more and looked at the evidence, I was convinced that this description carries truth. 

I think that the biggest aspect of textbooks to be aware of is the bias that exists within them. Being aware of the bias that textbooks are written and published with is extremely important and is something that students should be aware of. I think that this could be a very valuable lesson for students at the beginning of the year. You could teach students about what bias is, have them research the publisher, and have them write/discuss the potential biases that could exist within the text. If the students are aware of the biases that are within the text, they can decide to find different lenses on the internet. 

Students also need to be aware of how different the world was when the textbooks were published. Most textbooks in the classroom are not current. The textbooks are writing to a different population of students than the one that is reading them. In some cases, the students could be from a different generation than the initial target. 

With the potential biases, semi-dated information, and the growing access to information on the internet I think it is very possible for textbooks to lose their position as a classroom staple.