Textbooks

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Terry Conner on May 26, 2012 at 8:25pm

Hi Sheri,

I have used the Kinetics book, "Principles of Physics" for my Honors Physics class for 3 years now.  Prior to that I had used Giancoli's "Physics" and Holt "Physics."  My students really like the Kinetic physics book for multiple reasons.  The simulations are helpful and engaging.  Most students tell me they don't read the text portion but instead listen to the narration and pay attention to the pull out sections with explanatory images/simulations. However for those who do choose to read the text portion, they tell me it is written at an understandable level with a little humor thrown in now and then. For my research project for a master's degree in educational technology I studied my students over a unit on electricity to determine what they did and didn't use and/or like about the text. At the end of the study, 80% said they preferred the digital text over a paper text.  One more feature that I like and students seem to like also is the Online Homework.  While the online homework is just problems taken from the end of the chapters, it allows the teacher to select which problems to assign, set a deadline for answer submission and then access students' grades online. 

 

I hope this helps - I know I would not want to go back to a paper text.  If you want to know more, I'd be happy to discuss it.

Terry Conner

St. Teresa's Academy

Kansas City, MO