Key Principles for Publishing for the Digital Future

Over the past year experts in the educational publishing industry contributed to the AEP series, “Publishing for the Digital Future.” From trends in the classroom, to marketing and pricing strategies, to professional development in the new era, the series focused on highlighting actions that publishers could take now. Below is a list of action principles culled from the series. You can comment on any of the principles or read the entries in this blog under the category Publishing for the Digital Future.

Product Development and Differentiation in the Digital Era

By Marie Brown
President and CEO, Brown Publishing Network

Is it harder for publishers to differentiate their products in a digital marketplace?

From Gutenberg’s first printing press to Amazon’s electronic reader, Kindle, new publishing technologies will come–and occasionally go–but superior content is what remains the constant measure of excellence.

Content is, was, and always will be king. So, how does a digital publishing perspective change the product development process?

Some parts of the process have changed; some have not.

The Effect of Instant Assessment on Education

By Grant Davies
CEO, Teaching Strategies Inc.

As I reflect on the last five years, it’s hard to ignore the growth of technology-driven assessment initiatives, and it makes sense. Assessment, essentially the collection and aggregation of data, is perfectly suited for the digital age’s limitless processing power and vast data storage capabilities. Advances in technology, though, haven’t been the only driver of assessment priorities. Initiatives like No Child Left Behind and the addition of Head Start Performance Standards make assessment and accountability of student progress a central part of the educational experience for all learners, infants to adults. As a response, each stakeholder in the educational process has employed technology to transition to an environment focused on assessment. And, of course, to ensure that our stakeholders are well equipped to meet these expectations, we as educational publishers face the unique challenge of providing meaningful and relevant content.

Why Educational Publishers Need to Hop on the Podcast Train

By Kim Kleeman
President, Shakespeare Squared

Enough iPods have been sold worldwide to arm almost half of the United States. Never before has a single brand so completely overtaken the market. The ubiquitous white earphones are present on every bus, train, and school campus across America. iPods can be used for pure pleasure, but we can also view them as a tool. As educational publishers, we may not be able to create that next amazing global gadget, but we can reap the benefits of its ever-present use, especially among today’s youth–our prime market.

While there are multitudes of ways educational publishers can use these technologies to their advantage, there are three distinct advantages for doing so: podcasting and vodcasting are cheap, easy, and accessible. With today’s technology, anybody can be content creators.

Video Games and the 21st Century Classroom

By Scott Traylor
CEO and Founder, 360KID

Just eight years ago, before the Internet bubble burst, colleges were scrambling to offer as many web development classes as they could. The future of the Internet seemed clear. At the time, I was a computer science teacher, and any class having to do with web programming, interactive development or digital communications had lengthy waiting lists to get in. I considered the growing interest in Internet development skills to be mainly for adults; however, a few years later I was surprised to see students latching on to the Internet as a medium for expression, using the web as their own personal sketch pads to share artwork, writings and ideas with the world.

Today, a similar parallel within the technology world is emerging through gaming. Forward thinking universities are offering game studies programs, with degrees that focus on the world of video games, and for good reason. The video games industry is thriving. In 2007, the US consumer-based video games industry expanded by 43%, growing to almost $18 billion. In 2008, year to date sales are 26% over last year’s record-breaking numbers. Unlike the Web 1.0 past, the video games’ world is ready to grab hold of every new graduate coming out of such programs. Could it be that in just a few short years, students will start creating their own video games as their next digital sketch pad to share their ideas globally? Or could it be – as I believe – that day has already arrived.