Scholastic is arguably the go-to source of information on the children's publishing industry, and it's not just because they've had some out-of-the-park smash hits (ever hear of Harry Potter? The Hunger Games?). Scholastic also runs a thriving education division and as such it makes it the company's business to know what kids want to read, how they interact with books, and what … [Read more...] about New Scholastic Report Sheds Light on Kids’ Reading
digital education
Amazon Launches Free Teacher Resource Site
There is no such thing as adequate funding when it comes to education, no matter what type of school, geographic location, or age group, but K-12 teachers have reason to celebrate with Amazon's announcement of a free, fully searchable collaborative resource. Amazon Inspire lets teachers create and share their classroom materials from literally anywhere around the world. … [Read more...] about Amazon Launches Free Teacher Resource Site
Amazon will provide New York Schools with e-books
Amazon has just won a $30 million dollar contract to provide New York schools with e-books and digital textbooks. The city’s Panel for Educational Policy voted Wednesday in favor of the three-year contract for the Department of Education, which will take effect in the coming school year. The New York School District has 1.1 million diligent young scholars in over 1,800 … [Read more...] about Amazon will provide New York Schools with e-books
Playaway Unveils a Pre-Loaded, Controlled Tablet for Kids’ Circulation
Users who are familiar with the technology behind Playaways, the preloaded mini-MP3 players that contain individual audiobooks, may remember that the company has a strong history of providing conveniently packaged "safe" content for multi-user consumption. Whether it's the stand-alone audiobook players or the US Navy-specific NERDs (Naval E-Reader Device) that came loaded for … [Read more...] about Playaway Unveils a Pre-Loaded, Controlled Tablet for Kids’ Circulation
Authors as Educators: Simon & Schuster Offers Online Courses
In a market that has become increasingly flooded with books--both bad and great--publishers and authors are looking for new ways to reach fans, to sell existing titles, and basically, to stay relevant. Simon&Schuster has announced a new initiative designed to meet those critical needs in a way that not only keeps their authors in the forefront for readers, but also can … [Read more...] about Authors as Educators: Simon & Schuster Offers Online Courses
What Makes Kids Read?
Scholastic, the world's largest publisher of children's content and innovators in kids' digital reading, has released the findings of its Kids & Family Reading Report, the purpose of which is to "explore the reading attitudes and experiences that most influence children’s reading habits, including reading aloud at home, independent reading at school, presence of books in … [Read more...] about What Makes Kids Read?
Booktrack Aids eBook Comprehension, Looks to Educational Application
Not long after digital publishing improved the reading experience with portability, the option to change font size, and the instant access to new titles, developers began looking for ways to improve digital publishing. Enhanced ebooks offered never-before-seen full-color images, hyperlinks provided more information, and embedded video added an extra layer of content to a … [Read more...] about Booktrack Aids eBook Comprehension, Looks to Educational Application
Half Million MOOC Users Sign Up for Europe’s iversity
One of the increasingly popular forms of personal education is MOOCs, or massively open online courses. These learning opportunities allow registrants to benefit from free educational opportunities, and many more are even incorporating a revenue model that allows students to pay only if they wish to take a final exam for accredited university enrollment. While companies like … [Read more...] about Half Million MOOC Users Sign Up for Europe’s iversity
O’Reilly Media Donates over $100Million in Content under ConnectED Initiative
Through its Safari Books Online division, O'Reilly Media announced today a donation of over $100 million in content and tools for K-12 schools to use free of charge as part of the Obama administration's ConnectED initiative. The donation, which will reach 15,000 US public schools, is part of a larger strategy to ensure technology literacy among today's primary and secondary … [Read more...] about O’Reilly Media Donates over $100Million in Content under ConnectED Initiative
CourseSmart, Naseej Ink Agreement for Arab Digital Textbooks
One of the more exciting applications for digital publishing has always been in the educational sphere, allowing instant downloads and cost-effective purchasing of digital textbooks to penetrate academic markets around the world. As device proliferation continues to move forward globally, the academic content providers are following closely behind to ensure that the content is … [Read more...] about CourseSmart, Naseej Ink Agreement for Arab Digital Textbooks
SPi Global and the Changing Face of Digital Publishing in Education
For so many consumers, it's a given that turning on a mobile device will equate to the ability to find engaging content to use, especially in educational and academic publishing. But without really giving a lot of thought to how that content landed on a personal use device, many consumers may be unaware of not only the technology companies who make the content happen, but also … [Read more...] about SPi Global and the Changing Face of Digital Publishing in Education
Snapplify, Macmillan Launch eReader App for Educational Content
As device penetration takes place in more and more international markets, especially where education is concerned, publishers and content developers are discovering new issues that must be addressed in order to avoid the falsehood of the "one size fits all" approach to technology. South African app developer Snapplify was recently tapped to create an ebook reading app … [Read more...] about Snapplify, Macmillan Launch eReader App for Educational Content
New MOOC FutureLearn Launches in the UK
Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, have been hailed as the future of education. Having initially gained widespread recognition with the launch of Khan Academy, MOOCs offer users a way to learn that can be as simple as brushing up on their skills or as involved as learning an entirely new subject. FutureLearn, new program controlled entirely by Open University, is making … [Read more...] about New MOOC FutureLearn Launches in the UK
McGraw-Hill Connect Update Makes the Platform More Versatile
For the growing number of platforms that offer some form of digital learning or e-textbook options, the race to compete in the already crowded field is driving innovation. For companies who already began with a strong foundation in academic and K-12 publishing, all that remains is to improve the technology and offer the most comprehensive use of the digital … [Read more...] about McGraw-Hill Connect Update Makes the Platform More Versatile