Education publishers have taken a lot of fire in the last few years – many believe that we are too big, too powerful, and that things would be better if teachers just wrote their own materials or used free stuff. So why do we continue to exist? Are publishers a…
Quick – what percentage of your iTunes library is produced by amateurs? For that matter how many books on your eReader of choice are self-published works? If you are like most people the answer to both questions is “slim to none.” The point is that quality matters in any medium.…
For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled There’s a battle outside And it’s ragin’ It’ll shake your windows And rattle your walls For the times they are-a-changin’ Bob Dylan Recently PCI’s Executive Team went offsite for a day to reflect on the state of the market…
The education publishing tribe’s annual gathering is in New York this week. Today kicks off with the SIIA Ed Tech Business Forum (sold out) at the Princeton Club followed by the AEP CEO Roundtable (2 seats left) and the MDR/Peter Li Christmas Party tomorrow (by invitation), and the AEP Hall…
literacy n. The condition or quality of being literate, especially the ability to read and write. Surpise! It turns out that the generation in school today is writing more and reading more. Several recent reports provide evidence to support this startling claim. The internet – a time pig that has…
If you don’t think story-line matters in instructional materials just look at the pie fight over evolution in Texas. At its root this is a battle over which story we use to make sense of how we got here. Advocates on both sides will be unhappy with this characterization –…
What impact will the economic stimulus have on educational materials and technology? A front page New York Times article yesterday left no doubt that education will be a significant part of the legislation. The Times reports that the total education allocation could be as much as $75-$95* billion a year…
Products designed for the classroom must meet the needs of teachers first. If students are the primary users of your instructional materials this may sound a little backwards – but it isn’t. Teachers can make or break your product before a student ever sees it. Designing for teacher ease-of-use should…
In times of disruptive change the cutting edge is the safest place to be. To many people this seems counterintuitive. If there is rapid change the inclination of most people is to circle the wagons around the familiar. But, when the market is moving, breaking camp and moving forward is…
Hot sizzling education publishing and ed-tech related links here! Obama’s call for more teachers, kids media preferences, 2.0 de jour, and assessing 21st Century skills all get a nod in a short week. Eduflack talks about Obama’s call for an army of teachers. I confess that I worry about federalizing…