eContent – educational material of the future?
The Internet and education are two things that can go hand in hand. Undoubtedly, the Internet and all the goods that come from it are not alien to us today. We use mobile banking, shop over the Internet, and even relax online. At work, we can no longer imagine functioning without the Internet. Are changes in education also proceeding so quickly?
Right in front of our eyes, we can see modern technologies, interactive tasks to encourage students, and mobile versions of textbooks. Unfortunately, most of us still associate school with paper textbooks and unengaging homework assignments. But schools can have so much more to offer. Devoted teachers aim to keep up with the times, to teach effectively and interestingly to the younger generations, for whom the Internet is a natural environment. In achieving these goals comes eContent, which is helpful, if not necessary.
What is eContent?
eContent is a component of digital education designed to support both teachers and students in transferring and acquiring knowledge remotely as well as face to face. An eContent can consist of many different materials. Resources can include videos, AR/VR, gamification elements and other engaging materials. Moreover, you can combine the resources into PDF with hotspots or even entire interactive lessons or courses.
One of the most important roles of eContent from teachers’ perspectives is to support them in activating students and strengthening the individualization of the learning process. Thanks to interactive tasks, learners show more significant involvement in the lessons and can learn the material more efficiently. In addition, classes conducted with the support of eContent are much more enjoyable. They introduce variety and facilitate group interactions. However, it is essential to remember that eContent is not a teaching method but a resource that can be used when conducting classes, regardless of the chosen method.
eContent in practice
Two years ago, the situation in the world forced us to change our lifestyles and start functioning remotely. Schools were no exception. From one day to the next, it was necessary to completely abandon the existing teaching methods and start using digital solutions exclusively. However, that time proved the importance of digital learning and that it should be gradually implemented. In digital education, eContent is not only a form of presenting educational content but also, from the publisher’s perspective, all materials that motivate students to become active through video, AR/VR, gamification and many more.
Educational eContent in use – what does it mean exactly?
- The possibility of remote learning from anywhere in the world and at any time. eContent is always available, so learning can take place when it is most convenient for the student. All you need to learn is a phone on which eContent can be displayed.
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More opportunities in the classroom – eContent supports mainly schools and teachers. It provides new opportunities. Thanks to this, chemistry lessons can include theoretical knowledge and present recordings of exciting experiments that would usually be difficult to execute in a classroom. Consequently, students participate more attentively and are more willing to attend classes.
- Adaptive learning – the ability to modify the presentation of material in response to a student’s performance. Only eContent provides the ability to create materials for adaptive learning, emphasizing the maximum individualization of the student’s educational process. In addition, interactive eContent enables the collection of Big Data, which helps create adaptive learning materials, and allows teachers to follow students’ results and learning progress.
- Textbooks are available on electronic devices: laptops, phones, tablets. They are often presented in PDF formats with hotspots attached.
- Gamification is the use of game elements in the educational process. Thanks to this, students remember the content much better, and their involvement in the classes increases. Gamification is an interesting variety from the simple course of lessons, learning through play. Children also learn healthy competition and cooperation with other players thanks to various games.
Who is eContent for?
The best aspect of online materials is their flexibility and adaptation to each social group. In fact, there is no peri-school environment that will not benefit from the advantages of using eContent.
- Students – they are the target group for whom digital materials, such as eBooks and interactive assignments, are created. Thanks to the digital solutions introduced, they can acquire knowledge anywhere in the world, at any time and in the way that suits them best.
- Teachers – all digital materials support their work with students. Above all, teachers want to teach effectively. They are eager to use the new solutions that eContent provides. eContent allows the development of each teacher’s teaching method. It enables collecting data and statistics that inform about the student’s development or tasks they cannot solve.
- Parents – for natural reasons, parents appreciate solutions that bring better results in education. They also find it easier to support their children’s learning when they access online content.
- Tutors – by using eContent, tutors can impart their knowledge in an even more interesting and engaging way. Using online resources also makes their work easier and more effective.
Ready-made eContent
There are three main ways to create eContent. It can be made in-house using an authoring tool. It requires possessing appropriate knowledge and access to substantive materials. Second, it can be purchased as ready-made digital educational materials. Finally, it can be commissioned to produce them, e.g., by transferring flat textbooks to a digital, interactive version.
Ready-made eContent contains thousands of excellent quality videos, photos, graphics and other interactive materials covering hundreds of topics. Users can work with them in different ways and combine them freely. This makes them perfect for different requirements and teaching methods. In addition, eContent can be used on various mobile devices, laptops, tablets and phones. For whom is ready-made eContent a good solution? Of course, we recommend it to all publishers, and especially for:
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Those who have been forced to make their digital materials available quickly.
This situation arises mainly when e.g. the Ministry of Education requires publishers to create and make available digital resources. Preparing them in a hurry is not a comfortable and cost-effective solution, so it is worth opting for ready-made eContent. - Those who have not yet assembled a competent team to create their eContent, or are not yet in possession of resources to facilitate sharing digital materials.
- Those publishers who are new to the market are eager to use a pre-made eContent.
Summary – eContent as an education helper
Is eContent educational material of the future? Certainly yes, and in many leading publishing houses, offers and schools it is even the present. No wonder, because eContent as a base of modern education has many advantages from different beneficiaries’ perspectives. For educational publishers, it is a time and cost-effective solution that provides high quality. Teachers benefit from eContent due to the interactivity and many report possibilities owing to collecting a vast amount of data presenting each student’s results and progress in learning. For students, it is an interactive and attractive source of knowledge accessible from any device at any time. Moreover, eContent increases the quality and efficiency of teaching through the adaptivity feature. Thanks to it, each student acquires knowledge differently but achieves the same results.
In addition, materials are constantly updated, which is impossible in the analog version of the product. It is also much simpler to monetize whole batches or fragments of the material. They can be sold with limited time access or as extra material to existing paper textbooks.
