I am not surprised by the fact that “Traditional textbooks help my students” is so high. They do, but they do not keep them engaged. I am a little surprised with the results “Traditional textbooks engage my students”. What bothers me is the “Agree somewhat”. I have NEVER read a textbook that kept me engaged until the very end. Most of the time it gets to a point where it is just drudgery but I continue on because I know that I have too. Students don’t feel that sentiment. They completely check out.
I believe that we can have the same content that is currently in our textbooks, but just delivered in a more engaging way. Currently I am exploring Apple’s iBooks Author and all of the options that come with it. I am using it to create some curriculum with readings, review questions, and videos, rather than going with my normal approach. I am very optimistic that this will prove to be much more effective.