In my last post, I wrote about a new application category that has grown out of the need for textbook companies to re-imagine their traditional product for the Digital Age. I suggested that the perspective that these companies bring to digital learning environments contrasts markedly to those of traditional LMS developers. Consequently, they are bringing some novel approaches and innovation to the space. As you might imagine, content is at the heart of textbook publishers’ thinking, since it is at the heart of their business model. This post will specifically explore some of the wrinkles that textbook publishers face when educational content goes digital and how they are dealing with it in their platform designs.
Tag: Kno
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Rethinking Assumptions: Part 1
I have long promised that I would clear some time to write about what I’m learning from my new job at Cengage. Well, finally, this post is my first installment. Coming at the design of digital learning environments from a textbook publisher’s perspective has been enlightening in several respects. First, in the world of the LMS, we have tended to start with a generic model and put all the specifics into what we tend to call the “long tail.” It’s important, but it’s still the tail. But for textbook publishers, the tail wags the dog, so to speak. We don’t just think about people who want to teach and learn. We start by thinking about teaching and learning English. Or math. Or world languages. Or music. It’s always quite specific. Second and relatedly, we don’t start by making a list of all the tools and activities that one needs for a class. We start from the content and then think about the tools and activities that are necessary to teach that content. Third, because textbook publishers generally sell to teachers and students rather than institutions, there is more of a focus on (wonder of wonders) teaching and learning. The institutional concerns are there, but the enterprise sale comes after delivering a quality educational experience. All too often, the dynamics of the LMS market put things the other way around. And finally, there is some advantage to coming late to the game and being able to start with a blank sheet of paper. So all in all, it’s a fascinating place to be. In this first post in the series, I’m going to talk about a basic change in orientation than undergirds some of the innovation we’re going to be seeing in digital learning environments over the next few years.
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