>whereas the main goal of textbooks is to convey information True, but digital textbooks can be more than just 'text'-books. I'm not sure that field you had in

>whereas the main goal of textbooks is to convey information True, but digital textbooks can be more than just 'text'-books. I'm not sure that field you had in mind, but in the scientific field, from chemistry to physics to biology, virtual models can help out a lot. The entire point of doing lab work in these fields is so that they can associate what they _read_ in the textbook with what they can touch and play around with in the lab. So now I'm talking about bridging the gap. Instead of just conveying information, they can give experiences. Like vibrating a string in specific ways to study harmonic motion, to cutting open a plant's cell membrane to be able to zoom into each part of the plant cell in excruciating detail. Again, I think we are just limiting ourself to what the conventional method of education has been. I think it is due for a change. With the internet revolution, you don't need a lecturer to be in front of you but you can rather watch a video and text your TA. With VR/AR Coming Soon™, experiences you and I have never had can be part of middle school curriculum. The resources we've put into software can pay off.