The Increasing Popularity of Digital-First Educational Resources

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The education publishing industry is in the middle of a digital revolution because of the ways technology has changed how people learn. More than 94% of school-age children have a computer at home, and that number goes even higher when accounting for college-age students. With computers, tablets and smartphones approaching levels of total saturation, educators are relying more on digital editions of textbooks and other educational resources. If you’re a publisher that’s relying solely on physical media, you could be limiting your market. Here are a few reasons why schools are turning to digital materials.

Frequent Updates

One of the biggest reasons for the shift in the education publishing industry is access to the latest content. With price tags often well over $100 per book, physical textbooks are expensive. Because schools have to work within increasingly tight budgetary constraints, there’s a fine line to walk between giving students the most up-to-date information and spending too much money on materials. With digital editions, publishers can push updates out faster than they’d occur with printed books.

Size and Weight

According to occupational therapists, a student’s backpack should be no more than 10% of his or her total body weight, which isn’t easy to do with education publishing companies putting out 4-pound books. While student health and posture are large parts of the equation, there’s also the practical aspect of finding storage space for all of those textbooks. Instead of lugging and storing bulky volumes, a single tablet can hold a student’s entire lineup of resources.

Renting Is Becoming More Attractive Than Owning

Today’s consumers live in the streaming generation, which means it’s becoming more common to rent books, movies and magazines instead of owning the physical media. Because many textbooks are offered on a subscription basis, the savings can be significant when compared to purchasing a new set of textbooks every eight years. For education publishing professionals, this also has the added effect of providing a constant stream of income.

Digital Editions Do What Traditional Books Can’t

The days of gleaning information from pages of text are long gone. Today’s students have short attention spans, and they need more stimuli to stay engaged. A digital-first educational publishing company can offer several content enhancements:

• Video
• Audio
• Links to external sources
• Interactivity

Step Into the Digital Age

Now you know why schools are turning to digital-first educational resources, it’s time to entrust your content to an education publishing company with experience in this industry. Amnet has worked with publishers for more than 19 years, and they’re ready to bring your material into the digital age. To learn more about Amnet’s lineup of services, call +91-44-4344-8350 or send an email to [email protected] today.