12 Trends Impacting the Evolution of Digital Content

Twelve big trends are shaping developments in digital curricula:

1. Mobile app explosion
2. The rise of Open Educational Resources (Gooru Learning, CK12.org, CFY.org) 
3. Adaptive content (Dreambox, Compass Learning, i-Ready, Knewton) 
4. Game-based content (Mangahigh, Woogi World, Wowzers)
5. Electronic textbooks (Kno, Apple iBooks)
6. Social learning (Edmodo, Grockit)
7. Unbundling courseware into learning objects
8. Grade level collections (Gooru, PowerMyLearning.com)
9. Paradata (Kno, OpenStudy)
10. Playlists (Next Classrooms, Khan Academy)
11. Multi-source UX with single sign on & reporting (Education Elements, Buzz, Desire2Learn); and
12. Teacher created resources (TeachersPayTeachers, BetterLesson, WeAreTeachers, ShareMyLesson).

I spoke to a foundation executive yesterday about a prize concept developed five years ago—a summer trial with the goal of boosting math achievement by more than two years. As the list above indicates, the world has changed in the last five years. What seemed like a stretch is now very doable—targeted interventions that rapidly diagnosis learning difficulties and accelerate learning. Platform ecosystems haven’t kept pace with the evolution of content so it’s hard to get all this new stuff to work together and get results to “automagically” drop into a super grade book, but that will get better over the next few years. It’s an exponential evolution....