This document discusses the shift from print to digital content in education. It outlines how digital devices and content have changed consumer expectations and publishing models. It emphasizes that going digital requires comprehensive strategies that address pricing, production, delivery, and pedagogy. Institutions need to consider their goals and develop plans for digital content, devices, and professional development. The MBS Direct Digital platform aims to provide flexible learning content across multiple channels with user reporting tools.

1. DIGITAL DEVICES MEAN DIGITAL CONTENT STRATEGIES
Dr. Rob Reynolds
Director, MBS Direct Digital

2. • Rob Reynolds, Ph.D.
• 25 years of classroom
teaching experience
• Publishing executive
• Co-founder of
educational technology
startup
• Author of The Future of
Learning Content
• The Learning Lot.org
• @xplanarob
• http://www.slideshare.net/
no1nozeus/
• rreynolds@mbsbooks.co
m

3. 2007: A SHIFT IN CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS
• Pros
o Lots of books on a
single, lightweight
device
o Use in varied reading
environments
• Cons
o It’s ugly!
o It’s too expensive!
o No one wants to give
up touching the actual
book
The Kindle 1

4. 2009: A SHIFT IN PUBLISHING
• E-books represent
between 1.5%-2% of the
trade publishing market
• E-books garner between
$320m-$400m in sales
• E-reader devices are a
top selling gift item in the
holiday season
• Publishers realize that
this could be a problem

5. 2010: A SHIFT IN CONSUMER LIFESTYLES
• 124 million tablets will ship
globally in 2012
• 375 million tablets will ship
globally by 2016 (760
million in use overall)
• There will be 92 million
tablet owners in the US by
2014
• 19% of US adults now own
The Original iPad
tablet devices

8. 2012: A SHIFT IN LEARNING CONTENT
E-textbooks Digital Learning Content

9. THE TEXTBOOK IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE
TEXTBOOK!
THEN Now
(Textbooks) (Learn Lists)
Inflexible Content Model + High Prices + Flexible Content / New Pricing
Linear + Static Information Model + Models /Adaptive / Dynamic
Impersonal Information Model / Personal

10. TRENDS DRIVING CHANGES IN
LEARNING CONTENT
• New Pricing Models
• New Media Consumption Models
• New Content Production Models
• New Course Delivery Models
• New Student Information Models

11. NEW PRICING MODELS
New Media
You can subscribe to 45,000 movies and TV shows (Hulu Plus)
and 15 million songs (Spotify) for $17.98 per month -- and it's all
original content
Traditional Textbooks
Yet a single biology textbook from CourseSmart costs you
$20.25 per month --and little or none of the content is actually
unique

12. NEW MEDIA CONSUMPTION MODELS
We want an iTunes/Spotify model that allows them to
create learn lists, combining resources from different
content providers and a pay-as-you-go commerce
proposition
We want a Pandora model that makes it incredibly easy
to find related content based on universal learning
objectives
We want a Hulu model that offers both free and premium
content with subscription options
We want a new model of consumption, like the one
offered by Flipboard

13. NEW CONTENT PRODUCTION MODELS
• OER
• Open Textbooks
• Low-Cost Textbooks
• Course Packs
• Self-Publishing

14. WHAT INSTITUTIONS NEED
• A comprehensive digital content strategy
• A coordinated plan for digital content
distribution
• A clear vision for the digital curriculum
• A solution for content analytics

15. Going Digital is More Than a Device
or an E-textbook
 Re-thinking our
institutional missions
and learning goals
 Crafting new, long-
term content
strategies
 Defining best
practices in digital
pedagogy
 Delivering strong
professional
development
 Establishing clear
information literacy
outcomes

16. We All Need to Ask:
“What Is My Goal in Going Digital?”
• “We are introducing a new 1:1 tablet program”
• “We are instituting a BYOD program”
• “We have to find a way to lower costs for our
students”
• “We need a content solution that can integrate
more effectively with out other learning
technologies”
• “With digital, we can begin creating our own
content more effectively”

17. General Checklist
1. What is your core
(and long-term)
strategy regarding
content format?
a) Are you
transitioning to an
all-digital
curriculum?
b) Are you planning
on a hybrid (print +
digital) future?

18. General Checklist (cont.)
2. How do you want your students to
purchase/access their digital books?
a) Student purchase model?
b) School-purchase model?
3. Where will your users access their digital content?
a) Via a school LMS or other learning portal
b) Via a virtual bookshelf
c) From the classroom
d) From home

19. Digital Content Checklist
1. Why kinds of
digital content are
included in your
strategy?
2. What is your
timeline for going
digital and what is
driving that
timeline?

20. Digital Device Checklist
1. What are your plans for dedicated digital
devices?
a) Laptops
b) Tablets
c) Smartphones
2. What is your implementation strategy?
a) Institution will purchase designated device
b) Student will purchase designated device
c) BYOD program

21. Digital Device Checklist (cont.)
3. Will students access digital content on
more than one device?
4. Will students use the device(s) in a single or
in multiple locations?
a) School
b) Home
5. Will students be sharing devices?

22. Digital Device Checklist (cont.)
3. Will students access digital content on
more than one device?
4. Will students use the device(s) in a single or
in multiple locations?
a) School
b) Home
5. Will students be sharing devices?

23. Pedagogy Checklist
1. How are you incorporating digital content into
your pedagogy?
a) It’s just a convenient alternative to print
b) We are creating an integrated content
strategy with digital textbooks, digital reference
materials, and other digital applications
c) We are factoring in the use of digital devices in
our activities
d) We are integrating digital textbooks and digital
resources into a learning portal

24. Pedagogy Checklist (cont.)
2. Are you viewing your
students as consumers or
producers when it comes
to digital learning
content?
a) Consumers – It’s a
passive experience
b) Producers – We want
them interacting with the
text and
3. What is your plan for
professional
development?

25. MBS DIRECT DIGITAL PLATFORM
GUIDELINES
• A simple and intuitive design
• The broadest distribution capabilities
possible
• A solution for flexible learning
enhancement
• A product branded for our partners

33. DISTRIBUTION ACROSS MANY CHANNELS

34. USER ENGAGEMENT REPORTING
• Book • User Generated Content
o Percentage accessed by o Number of highlights
chapter or concept o Number of notes
o Total time o Number of bookmarks
o Number of times accessed o Usage of audio
o Average time per session o Number of exported
• Resources Accessed annotations
o Total accessed by chapter or • Bookshelf
concept o Number of books
o Number of times accessed o Total time
o Which resources? o Average time

35. DIGITAL CONTENT SERVICES
• Catalog of low-cost digital alternatives
• Support for self-publishing initiatives
• Library of OER content to assist with enhancing
e-textbooks
• Content evaluation and acquisition services
• Curriculum and pedagogy workshops