There is no doubt that the way students learn has changed drastically due to the digital revolution. The traditional way of having a (physical) textbook, a (physical) notepad and a pen as the only studying tools seems almost impossible nowadays. The internet and technology in general have opened up all kinds of new opportunities in the educational sector and “if publishers fail to adapt to this changing landscape, they are risking share, revenue and ultimately the survival of their business” (Robinson, 2014).
Hence, many educational publishers started to “think about broader strategic issues, and in some cases, took bold steps to try to reposition the firm and redefine its publishing activities” (Thompson, 2005). It is no longer enough for them to provide their consumers with knowledge exclusively through textbooks, they have to offer various extra digital tools to be able to compete in the market. These tools are especially electronic learning resources e.g. ActiveTeach and ActiveLearn by Pearson (Pearsonactivelearn.com, 2014; Pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk, 2014) which students and teachers can access online.
There are a variety of opportunities for digital use in scholarly publishing. Here are some key examples:
For teachers:
- using the digital learning resources to plan lessons
- keeping students interested due to new ways of teaching with multimedia content
- saving time, as most of the materials needed are on the database
- using the provided materials to mix with their own teaching resources
For students:
- makes learning more efficient
- makes studying more exciting
- can be used for homework, exam and test preparation, revision, etc.
- students can study at their own pace, without holding anyone back (Pearsonactivelearn.com, 2014)
For publishers:
- attracting a broader audience; e.g. schools who are interested in going
more digital might be interested
- increased competitiveness
- being part of an educational revolution
Hence, many educational publishers started to “think about broader strategic issues, and in some cases, took bold steps to try to reposition the firm and redefine its publishing activities” (Thompson, 2005). It is no longer enough for them to provide their consumers with knowledge exclusively through textbooks, they have to offer various extra digital tools to be able to compete in the market. These tools are especially electronic learning resources e.g. ActiveTeach and ActiveLearn by Pearson (Pearsonactivelearn.com, 2014; Pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk, 2014) which students and teachers can access online.
There are a variety of opportunities for digital use in scholarly publishing. Here are some key examples:
For teachers:
- using the digital learning resources to plan lessons
- keeping students interested due to new ways of teaching with multimedia content
- saving time, as most of the materials needed are on the database
- using the provided materials to mix with their own teaching resources
For students:
- makes learning more efficient
- makes studying more exciting
- can be used for homework, exam and test preparation, revision, etc.
- students can study at their own pace, without holding anyone back (Pearsonactivelearn.com, 2014)
For publishers:
- attracting a broader audience; e.g. schools who are interested in going
more digital might be interested
- increased competitiveness
- being part of an educational revolution
However, the opportunities that open up for publishers also come with challenges.
To provide the best quality content they have to make sure that:
- students get more from their
learning resources than from the usual free online content
- what they provide is cross-device compatible
- consumers have 24/7 access
- they are able to operate print and electronic programs simultaneously
- it is affordable
- it is easy to use (→ schools usually can’t afford to send their employees on training sessions) (Thompson, 2005)
To conclude, I am convinced that technology plays an extremely important role in educational publishing and that it will grow and become even more powerful in the future. Schools will be highly digital and they need publishers to adapt to this changing environment. “Now, more than ever, there is a real focus on developing products that have effective outcomes for students” (Smolaks, 2014), and digital education models that can be used with the printed textbooks offer a chance to do so. As priority, publishers have to make sure that they create content that fulfils teachers, students and parents expectations and needs.
“The winners will be those who are early to adopt digitally-driven strategies and are committed enough to change their organisation’s mind-set and ways” (Robinson, 2014).
- 508 words
To provide the best quality content they have to make sure that:
- students get more from their
learning resources than from the usual free online content
- what they provide is cross-device compatible
- consumers have 24/7 access
- they are able to operate print and electronic programs simultaneously
- it is affordable
- it is easy to use (→ schools usually can’t afford to send their employees on training sessions) (Thompson, 2005)
To conclude, I am convinced that technology plays an extremely important role in educational publishing and that it will grow and become even more powerful in the future. Schools will be highly digital and they need publishers to adapt to this changing environment. “Now, more than ever, there is a real focus on developing products that have effective outcomes for students” (Smolaks, 2014), and digital education models that can be used with the printed textbooks offer a chance to do so. As priority, publishers have to make sure that they create content that fulfils teachers, students and parents expectations and needs.
“The winners will be those who are early to adopt digitally-driven strategies and are committed enough to change their organisation’s mind-set and ways” (Robinson, 2014).
- 508 words
Bibliography
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