and the 50-pound bookbag
The Department of Justice and Apple are battling in court over e-book pricing, but that's not the only high-stakes brawl that's brewing in the publishing industry.
The multi-billion dollar textbook industry is also being shaken up by a slew of forces, from the publishers to tech startups, education non-profits, the government, university professors and, of course, Apple.
Textbook sales, for both higher education and K-12, will reach an estimated $13.7 billion in the U.S. this year, according to Outsell, a research firm. The overall market is expected to increase over the next few years as the student population is growing, according to Kate Worlock, an analyst at Outsell.
Just as with e-books, the shift comes as students turn to their tablets and smartphones for digital textbooks. Just take college student Clayton Brown, who carries an iPad to his biology class at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
If his professor asks the students to follow along in the textbook, he taps his iPad, opens a digital copy and quickly lands at the right place without thumbing through any pages.
"Instead of carrying around a bunch of books, you have one device with everything on it," said the 23-year-old student. He also uses the digital textbook's added tools like flash cards and an online journal that keeps track of the material he's highlighted. "It's just much more efficient." (More)
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" The rise of Open Educational Resources as a digital learning tool is transforming the modern-day classroom. To cope with this 21st Century "sea change in education," educators have been expected to master constantly evolving technology, new sources of content and revolutionary delivery systems.
But now there is help. Marianas Electronics in partnership with 3W Education Consulting Group brings together a collection of some of the nation's most respected experts with backgrounds in teaching, OER, administration, IT, EdTech, and digital learning infrastructure support. We speak your language. And we are committed to making your school's transformation to digital learning a success. Join with us in this effort and become a Sponsor or just forward this message to family, friends and associates."BECOME A SPONSOR OF ReTHINK EDUCATION
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WHY MAKE THE TRANSITION TO DIGITAL LEARNING - Continued
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A modern day approach to digital learning is a personalized experience that dynamically identifies and addresses each student's unique learning needs in a manner appropriate to their learning interests, styles, and aptitude, and does so anytime and anywhere. This personalized learning model is made possible by digital learning that leverages persistent connectivity, large-scale data processing, and rapidly advancing device capabilities to individually engage every student. There are many reasons to make the change. In the previous Report we examined Effectiveness, Student Engagement, and Richer More Personalized Classroom Experience. Now here are some more reasons:
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 Equity for All StudentsDigital learning can improve the opportunity to learn for ALL students by ensuring access to a full range of tools, resources, content, and courses regardless of zip code or socioeconomic status, as long as the student has access to broadband at home. ContentDigital content includes richly diverse fields of knowledge, supporting opportunities for interaction with materials, resources, and experts beyond the classroom. And digital content is always up-to-date and virtually infinite, supporting a wide variety of interests and topics. CostReplacing textbooks, as well as tests and other printed materials with digital content often includes cost-saving expectations. While not all uses of technology improve cost-effectiveness, properly implemented technology can yield tangible savings in printing, transportation, and warehouse costs. These savings are neither immediate nor guaranteed, as establishing a digital learning environment requires significant initial and ongoing investments in planning, bandwidth, equipment acquisition and repairs, software, support, and teacher training. The important long-term question is the return on investment, looking at costs as well as educational opportunities and outcomes. Costs and savingsCost management is fundamental to making the successful transition to digital learning. According to Project RED (www.projectred.org), the cost of technology implementations can vary widely. For example, the reported cost for 1:1 implementations range from $250 per student per year to more than $1,000 per student per year, measured on a four-year refresh cycle. However, cost savings from going digital are estimated at close to $600 per student per year across the following verticals: * increased teacher attendance, * reduced copy and paper costs * using online assessments * using digital versus print materials * online learning * decreased dropout rates |
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INGREDIENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION
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Schools can take different roads to arrive at digital learning. However, it is clear that intensive planning leading to clear goals, teacher training and involvement, collaborative leadership, and commitment to continuous support are essential components for making the transition a success. Leaders and participants who have transitioned to digital learning environments tend to agree on the following issues:
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 LeadershipThe most important component of successful digital learning conversions has been strong, collaborative leadership. Some initially successful conversions have failed after their leaders moved on. While individual leadership is important, collaborative leadership provides the opportunity to build a collective vision and commitment that enhances continuity. PlanningSuccessful implementation of digital learning requires thorough planning. This includes a thoughtful rollout plan created through a collective process with all stakeholders. At a minimum, the plan should address content, infrastructure, maintenance, learning strategies, training requirements, and technical support. It should also be flexible, allowing for course corrections to overcome unanticipated challenges or to seize unanticipated opportunities. EngagementTeachers are critical to the success of any significant change in education. They should be involved in the planning and rollout of digital learning, and help identify the tools and content, training, andsupport they will need to fully support their teaching and their students' learning. Creativity and flexibilityTeachers, students, and parents will identify flaws in the plan and can help identify solutions. Leaders and implementers need to listen to stakeholders and work cohesively toward a mutually satisfactory outcome. Persistence and prioritizationEducators and technologists have become infamous for rolling out a new idea or product before the last one has been fully implemented. Successful implementations require focused planning and attention to key implementation factors previously noted. Success takes time and commitment to strategic action plans, review, and adjustment. It often takes several cycles after implementation to determine if a new initiative is working. Supplant, not supplementToo often technology and digital learning is added on top of the existing practices, challenging already busy curriculums and overwhelming busy teachers. Instead, successful digital learning implementations require modifications to the curriculum to replace ineffective practices with those that best leverage the technology. |
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