Embedding Digital Texts

At one point in time, companies believes that MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses would change the face of education.  They thought that these courses would be the solution for more affordable and convenient education.  While "Digital Education" is alive and well (Digital texts, E-Learning, and Open course software), this type of education is best utilized when in conjunction with a more traditional setting.  Although the MOOC didn't quite take off as massively as it's name would suggest, there are many ways that teachers can embed these digital tools into their curricula and coursework.


Digital Texts

The last time I entered a library for research purposes was a very long time ago.  Most of the research I conduct now is done through online databases and other digital texts.  Even the majority of my course textbooks are digital,  which makes it much easier to annotate the text and review my notes. I can even have the text read aloud, means I could even do my "reading" while driving or outside where sometimes find it too bright to look at a book.  Digital texts can also make books more affordable, and these books often pack more punch for their value.  Digital texts can have interactive models and videos embedded right into their pages, as well as link the reader to other valuable resources.  I made digital texts for the Spanish course I taught, and my students loved it!  They were free, easily accessible, and fun to use.  Students could hear me pronouncing the new words, rather than taking home a textbook and trying to pronounce the new language, which can create poor pronunciation habits.  The books also included short formative assessment activities, so students were able to quiz themselves as see how they were progressing.   Click here to see 5 Places to Get Digital Textbooks.

E-Learning

Digital texts are not the only tools one can embed into their curricula.  Sites such as Khan Academy, YouTube, TeacherTube, Nearpod, and MANY more, are offering teachers free and amazing resources for teaching a myriad of subjects.  Some teachers are using E-Learning to amass resources to effectively flip their classroom, where students participate in self directed direct instruction, which then opens more class time for the application of the learned material.  For example, in my Spanish class, I would create boards on Blendspace that included all sorts of resources for direct instruction.  There would be links to Quizlet where students could practice new vocabulary, videos that exemplified the new vocabulary and grammar, videos created by myself that further reinforced the topic, digital games, and other resources for my students.  Students could use as many or as few of those links as they wanted, and then they were to complete a small homework assignment that could prove if they were getting a handle on the material.  The next day in class, we would use that assignment to launch into an activity, and sort out an questions or concerns the students had about the material.  While E-Learning can be engaging and effective, it is important that students are able to debrief with their teachers and peers.


Open Course Software

Perhaps you are a student who is progressing quite quickly through the high school math curricula.  Your teachers are beginning to fear that they cannot continue to provide challenging coursework.  Or, perhaps you wish to take German, but your school only offers Spanish and French.  Maybe you want to learn how to code, but your school does not offer any sort of Engineering or Computer Science courses.  This is where Open Course Software comes in.  Many highly esteemed universities (MIT and Yale, to name a few), offer free and challenging courses and software in many different content areas.  While this trend began as different types of Software (MIT's Scratch creation software),  many are now being accompanied with full Syllabuses, assessments, lesson plans, and more. (See here for a list of Universities offering course software and courses)