4 Digital Options for Your School

Implementing digital curriculum into your school can seem like a complicated process. If you type digital curriculum into a search engine, you get a plethora of terms such as ebooks, digital platforms, publishers, learning resources, and more. How do you know where to start or what’s appropriate for your school? The key is to start small by choosing one option.

Ebooks

Ebooks are simply electronic books accessible online, not necessarily part of a large learning management platform. Ebooks are simply the book itself but can have special features for learning and accessibility such as:

• Notes and Highlights– Ebooks offer opportunities to make notes and highlight content right in the ebook along with additional interactive features like annotations, pen tools and page zoom.
• Search Option – The search tool is always a favorite as it helps avoid having to turn page after page to find that elusive topic or phrase. Pages and chapters can be bookmarked easily, and the online dictionary can help students quickly find the meaning of words.
• Text to Speech– You can change the voice, the speed, and even how it sounds. For example, if you’re from the south, you can use a Southern accent so that people can feel more comfortable with reading and understanding what is being read to them. You can slow the speed of speech down or speed it up.
• Flashcards– This is a great feature for students to use as a study guide. You simply highlight a word or phrase in the text, select flashcard, and type the answer on the back of it. Teachers can also use this feature to help students know what to focus on as they study for quizzes or tests.

These are the general interactive options for ebooks. Just about any book is available in an ebook format these days, with many different publishers, and you’ll always get the most up-to-date and current material available.

Online Platforms (Publishers)

Digital learning platforms deliver learning experiences that enable students to actively engage with educational content. A school can have its own online platform. Each publisher could also have its own online platform, and each publishers’ platform is different. What they do all have in common is the ability to do assessments, assignments, quizzes, and grading help.

Library Resources

Another resource available is the ability to expand your school library to include the e-text versions of periodicals and books. Students simply download the e-version to their devices and can read it at their fingertips.

Alternative Learning Resources

Schools also have the option of using alternative learning resources to supplement their digital platforms. Sites such as Duolingo, NoRedInk or Khan Academy are a few popular options that go beyond traditional publishers, ebooks and learning platforms.

At EdTech, we hear educators and students ask common questions about the digital options they’re considering, such as: Is this option good? Will it work? Have you heard of this? We recommend starting small.

One of the easiest ways to start by doing Shelfit ebooks, which allows you to try out the ebooks without setting up the publisher platforms and having to worry about codes, usernames and passwords. Find some publishers and books that you know you’re going to want this coming year, and then order them for a class or two to test them out among a group of teachers and students. Then you’ll know if they’re a good fit for your school. If they are, you’ll already have buy-in from a few teachers before you roll it out to the entire school.

We can help guide you through the process to find the right resources, starting with a booklist review for your school.

EdTech Solutions leverages education technology to improve learning by making it easy and simple for schools and students to manage and access individualized digital content on any device. EdTech’s cutting-edge approach to schoolwide ebook implementation and our innovative online platform and tools give school administrators and teachers the controls they need while providing students and parents with access to all their content on one easy-to-use platform with a single login, in most cases.

When you work with us, we create a personalized bookstore for your school where students can access and purchase their ebooks and textbooks on Shelfit.com. We also help publishers make their content available digitally to students on our robust multi-publisher ebook reader platform. We strongly believe that knowledge and good education should be available to all, and we are committed to developing and providing the online learning tools and modern services that make it possible.