Technology's Impact on Educational Publishing

Proactive publishers produce cutting-edge products

Changes in technology are felt in education, from students’ in-classroom expectations to core curriculum development. That’s a broad range of education considerations to keep up with as an education publisher! 

Luckily, these tech trends in education have been widely researched. There is a wealth of information available to guide education publishers as they create new products in the increasingly digital world of K-12 Education.

But which technological predictions will truly manifest at a meaningful level? What trends will become standard classroom practices? ScribeConcepts helps clients eliminate unnecessary buzz and focus on the top technological considerations that all education publishers should plan for in future publications.

Educational publishing in creating e-books, online resources, and OERs from print materials

It is imperative that publishers take advantage of the shift toward digitally-available curricula by creating multimodal, dynamic content. School districts expect digital learning materials to be engaging, versatile, and accessible without additional modification from teachers.

Curating and revamping content for multimedia use can be daunting for experienced curriculum publishers and developers. The need to integrate graphics, video, and interactivity changes the task from a text-based lesson to one with several additional elements. These elements must work in harmony to enhance learning and teaching. Furthermore, digital resources require more work and knowledge, because materials must follow accessibility and security guidelines, which tend to change frequently.

One solution is to view the need for digital variations of standard materials as an opportunity - not just a financial opportunity, as free Open Educational Resources are gaining in popularity - but an opportunity to turn one piece of content into many variations that fit the needs of individual classrooms and expectations of school districts and state and federal guidelines.

For publishers, prioritizing this transformation of their product(s) from print to digital is key. An investment in digital content expertise will result in engaging, dynamic, and cutting-edge content that will keep your product at the forefront of educational decision-makers’ minds as they look for modern products that meet their needs.

Keeping up with the role of the teacher

A teacher’s role is always evolving; it depends on the expectations of parents, administrators, policymakers, and oftentimes, the general public. The traditional role of "sage on the stage" has evolved into a facilitator of learning, where students are the center of instruction. Thoughtful integration of digital content and technological tools helps teachers enhance their practice and support student learning, so the key is understanding how much and what types of digital content will contribute the most to student outcomes and increase teacher efficiency. 

As teachers take more of a guiding role for students in independent and personalized learning, modern learning materials are essential to keeping learners engaged and on track. However, teachers are not expected to be IT experts - and shouldn’t be. Digital products and programs should be extensively tested with audiences of different ages to ensure ease of use and adaptability for students with different degrees of tech literacy skills.

Multilingual learners, students receiving specialized instruction can benefit from digital assets. Some assets are adaptive and provide lessons based on real-time assessments. Others use AI to predict what students need and interact with those students. Yet other assets provide opportunities for learning in students' home languages or at lower or higher reading levels. Interactive details provide additional support when students need definitions, visual or auditory examples, or prompts to help them access learning.

These are exciting innovations to include in new products that can aid teachers in being more efficient and effective.

Innovative learning strategies for engaging content and multimodal learning

Technology offers new ways to enhance learning with play. While games are traditionally seen as techniques for review, publishers now incorporate gamification and computer-adaptive learning into complete lessons, often with personalized pathways to mastery. Gamification helps students develop self-regulation and digital literacy skills. It enhances retention of academic content and allows students to experience and respond to feedback in real time. Gamification does not necessarily imply development of robust learning platforms that require an overhaul of current curricula. Rather, ScribeConcepts' digital experts help publishers find cost-effective, pedagogy-based ways of integrating the right level of digital content and interactivity for their product. Our team guides clients to adding versatility and enhancing engagement to educational products, no matter the size of the asset, program, or platform.

How can ScribeConcepts help?

ScribeConcepts doesn’t just predict these technological advancements in education, but we also want to be a part of bringing the benefits of technology to students in the classroom. That’s why we are dedicated to helping publishers diversify and enhance their products.

We have extensive experience with

• Multimodal adaptations of existing content and planning for ongoing digital upkeep

• Increasing accessibility and personalized learning adaptations in existing content

• Working with products that incorporate in-person or digital games in the classroom

• Providing companion resources or modifications for existing content

We specialize in complex project management, content development, and innovative strategies in education. Whether you are working with an existing product or are creating new educational materials from scratch, ScribeConcepts can support you during the process to ensure quality, accessibility, and intentionality when it comes to leveraging technology to make the best product for your goals.

Reach out to learn more!