Interactive Digital Textbooks...Gone Wild!

Throughout my years of teaching I have come to dislike textbooks for two main reasons. The first reason is that textbooks contain way more information than the students are required to know for standardized testing. In fact, it isn’t possible to teach every single topic in the textbook within the 180 day school year. The second reason is that the issued textbook doesn’t always explain a topic well and I end up resorting to other textbooks in which my students do not have access. My solution for both of these problems has been to construct thorough notes that either replace or are a supplement to their textbooks. Everything the students are required to know is in their notes and all homework assignments and tests revolve around their notes. If I took all of my notes and printed them in a giant packet, I would have a mini textbook only containing the content my students were required to learn. 

After years of tweaking my notes I began thinking that maybe I should just write my own textbook. Originally it was going to be a print textbook, but as technology advanced it became an online textbook; then when Kindles, Nooks, and iPads hit the market it became an eBook; and now it has evolved into an interactive eBook curriculum. A curriculum! A complete, fully digital curriculum! Not only the new era of textbooks but also a new era of instruction.

I envision the curriculum would be a website or app that the students would access through username and password.  The website would contain reading content along with “checking for understanding” questions, quizzes, tests, videos, worksheets, graphic organizers for note taking, lab worksheets, etc.; basically, a complete curriculum packaged into a paperless, digital parcel.  I understand that these types of sites already exist; however, mine would allow the teacher to modify any part of the curriculum to meet the needs of his/her students, for a price of course - maybe an annual fee.  

The classroom could be completely paperless if 1:1. Being digital wouldn’t interfere with organization skills because the students would be able to construct digital notebooks of their worksheets and notes. They could keep units grouped, each with its own table of contents. I’ve seen how a teacher has gone paperless using apps from Google for Education. She had her students create Google websites and they would keep track of their assignments by unit. They would post all videos, handouts, assignments, etc. all on one page so they could go back and review the content for that unit. I envision this feature could be included in my digital curriculum package.

The ideas keep compiling and hopefully I can make this a reality. Better now than later though because the digital box has been opened and I believe there will be high demand for a product like this if it is offered. Maybe I need to pair up with Google - if someone from Google reads my blog, please contact me! Lissa.clelland@gmail.com