The K-12
educational environment is changing at a rapid pace, for the better.
Thanks to
the constant upgrades and innovations in the tech industry, classrooms are
feeling the positive effects and are able to elevate the learning environment
for students to a whole new level.
Computers
are in most classrooms these days and the amount of students with access to
tablets, computers and smartphones has never been higher, and is growing each
year. With these technological upgrades, students are afforded the opportunity
to learn online some of the time in a blended class and have unprecedented
access to information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. "Amazing things are
happening in education right now, " says Mike
Sullivan Teacher and Co-Founder of Noyo, an interactive language
software company. "Once a fire is ignited and a student has a burning
desire to learn more in a subject, they now have constant access with no one to
hold them back."
According
to Ariel Diaz, Founder, and CEO of BOUNDLESS, "textbooks are the curriculum of the past and we're
{Boundless} working to build the curriculum of the future." Interactive
textbooks that can be custom-designed by educational publishing gurus such as
iD8-Triple SSS Media Development, LLC. Boundless offers a unique
opportunity for all those engaged in the educational environment: students,
teachers, parents and publishers alike. "Technology will only improve over
time, but the old textbook in hard copy form can only age. New platforms will
only get better,” says
Sullivan, who cannot imagine ever paying $100 for a textbook again and which will probably be outdated by the time it hits the classroom.
These new
interactive textbook platforms will not only offer unlimited access to learning
for students of all ages at a fraction of the price, but they also make it
easier for teachers to focus learning goals on the needs of each specific
student. Parents win too because the classroom can come home with their child
and offer extra tutorials and assistance in problem areas that students may not
get during the class day.
Educational
media companies like iD8-Triple SSS Media
Development benefit as well because these interactive textbook platforms allow
for top-notch customer service. Books are no
longer created with the hope that they will be purchased; they are created through a very streamlined process and delivered through
specific projects at the request of a client, minimizing duplication of
products and reducing costs.
The only
drawback to these new interactive textbook platforms is that “it is hard to support
everything out there,” and keep pace with the constant changes and advancements.
Guest Blogger: Daphne Butas
Daphne is a seasoned writer and former teacher who specializes in developing educational content for use in books, manuals, testing materials and online resources. She lives with her husband and 3 children in Falls Church, VA and thinks that motherhood has been the greatest and hardest educational experience of her life.
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