discoveryeducation.com/ScienceTechbook■ Retail Price: Between $48 and $57 per student for a six-year subscription.
The Discovery Education (DE) Science Techbook is a comprehensive, multimedia digital textbook and learning platform that addresses the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It can be customized with state-specific standards so teachers and students have the exact content they need.
The Techbook features reading passages (multiple languages available), virtual labs, interactive multimedia content, videos, and nearly 2,000 hands-on labs. Students are given a complete set of tools to help them explore and document their learning using an inquiry-based approach. A text-to-speech engine as well as highlighting, note-taking, and journaling tools help students with all different learning styles succeed.
Teachers have complete control of content delivery via the built-in Classroom Manager. Model lessons, essential questions, and high-quality vetted resources give educators the flexibility to assign interactive, differentiated learning content based on their topic and on student needs.
Quality and Effectiveness: The DE Science Techbook is an excellent resource for the classroom, and its intuitive interface gives teachers a comprehensive and vetted set of materials for grades K–12, including high-school biology, chemistry, physics, and earth and space science.
Teachers can select and save assets and combine them with tools for building assignments, quizzes, writing prompts, and interactive “boards” to customize the learning/assessment process. Teachers can also monitor student understanding through student journals, graphic organizers, constructed responses, and quick checks.
Ease of Use: Districts that adopt the DE Science Techbook will see it added to their new or existing account on the Discovery Education website in the “My DE Services” section. It loads very quickly, and the comprehensive support and training materials ensure users are soon up and running.
Creating, managing, and assigning work is simple and fast. Finding materials is easy, since it’s broken down into units of study and contents. It follows Discovery Education’s “5 E’s” approach to learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate with STEM, and Evaluate. Exercises in each of these areas are followed by a model lesson that includes content and all the necessary materials to save teachers time and help them to deliver effective instruction.
Creative Use of Technology: The DE Science Techbook solves the problem of science curricula that are continually outdated; since it’s a digital textbook, content can be added and refreshed as needed to ensure that both teachers and students have the most up-to-date content and tools.
The flexibility of the platform allows teachers to easily differentiate instructional content and efficiently assess student learning. The tools help each student, regardless of individual learning style, to succeed.
OVERALL RATING:
The DE Science Techbook is an excellent solution for science education. It strikes the right balance of content and activities.
TOP FEATURES
● High-quality interactive content and materials engage today’s learners any place, any time.
● Its flexibility allows teachers to differentiate and customize instruction.
● This complete learning platform not only delivers instruction but also enables teachers to assess student work and give feedback.
