Digital Content: What's With All The Hype?

Editor's note: This article is an excerpt from the 2012 Q2 Special Report.

The headlines have been hard to miss: “The end of textbooks?” Or, “In some classrooms, books are a thing of the past.” Articles reference success stories of students from kindergarten to college trying out laptops, tablets, smartphones and netbooks in place of print textbooks. All-digital classrooms and textbook-free college courses are becoming more common. Even the reference mainstay, the Encyclopedia Britannica, has announced it will no longer print those heavy hardbacks, but zip out electronic versions instead.

So is this all a lot of hoopla or is there substance to the spin? Evidence shows we are in for a change. A few examples:

1. It has been predicted that 44 percent of college textbooks will be digital by 2017.

2. Florida is making K-12 textbooks completely digital by 2015.

3. Even the federal government is taking a strong stance — it released the “Digital Textbook Playbook” to show districts why and how they should make the move toward e-textbooks.

4. The transition to digital content is undeniably taking place in classrooms and on campuses, and will only accelerate in coming years.

For answers to your Digital Content questions, check out the resources below.

 2012 Q2 Special Report: The Textbook Reformation & Digital Content

This report examines this educational transformation in all its facets: from curriculum acquisition to best practices for a successful transition to key governmental policies. We’ll discuss technology concerns, professional development tips, managing plagiarism and copyright, and much more. Along the way, we’ll highlight a few of the many schools and universities adopting digital technology in different ways. 

Converge 2012 Q2 Special Report Supplement: Funding and Professional Development

This Funding & Professional Development Special Report Supplement investigates the funding opportunities that support the digital content transition. It also offers a professional development section that helps readers understand the Q2 Special Report content and can be used as a guide in professional development training sessions.

August 29, 2012 - 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST A transition to digital content and e-textbooks is undeniably taking place.  This webinar will investigate where schools and districts are in the shift to digital content and will highlight the different facets of this transformation.