Hello, my name is Elaine Plybon. I am a Texas teacher, having taught high school science, including Biology, Chemistry, GMO, and IPC, as well as being a Science Instructional Specialist, Instructional Technology Specialist, and now professional development specialist, working with secondary science teachers on nine campuses in the DFW area. I am really glad to be here!
Today, I’m going to focus on three things. You are probably already familiar with Discovery Education. Many teachers in the state of Texas have used DE’s rich media resources to enhance the learning for students for many years. DE is part of Discovery Communications, which is the largest non-fiction media company in the world. So what I’m really here for today is to give you an overview of what, exactly, Science Techbook is, and in that overview, you will see some of the many things that set us apart. As a teacher, I understand that you can choose whatever resource you wish to adopt, but if you don’t get teacher buy-in, that product will not be utilized or will not be utilized fully. So my real focus will be to show you why I am sold on Discovery Education and its Science Techbook.
I’m also going to be talking to you from the viewpoint of a teacher who has taught in districts including a 1:1 district, a district where I didn’t even have a projector in my room, to the district where I am now, which relies on a BYOD policy with small numbers of devices available to teachers for checkout at each campus. This gives me a unique perspective in to the Techbook, which does not seek to replace every teaching strategy with technology.
Instead, one of the beauties of Discovery Education is its attention to providing a well-rounded resource that I could have used in any of the districts for which I worked – whether setting up my classroom like the one in this picture, with just a few computers, utilizing the techbook in a 1:1 setting, or even printing or downloading the resources for students to use on devices without internet access. At Discovery Education, we understand that there are tried and true research-based practices that encourage students to learn and you will find those practices in Techbook. Techbook meets teachers where they are and encourages them to add media to their lessons to increase engagement while understanding that there is simply no replacement for hands-on activities.
So let’s get started! I’m going to dive in to the Techbook, because I believe that is going to be the best way to demonstrate the power of this resource.
Talking points:
Pricing for Techbook is amazingly low. The pricing shown here is per student and for high school is per product. If you think about how much traditional textbooks cost, you also have to think about how much it costs to replace it when it gets lost or damaged, and how much it will cost you when your freshman class increases next year by 20%. With Discovery Education, the amount you pay for this first year per student is a one-time cost and covers you for the next 8 years without being charged any additional fees if your enrollment increases. A one-time cost that covers your district for eight years! Further, as you saw in the Techbook demonstration, the content is constantly being updated to reflect current events and discoveries. I remember my first year teaching, I had textbooks that were 6 years old – in science, a lot of things change in six years! With Techbook, you not only have the security of knowing that content will be updated, but it will continue to be aligned to the TEKS, even when those TEKS change within the 8 year purchase you make today! How often have you had your textbooks automatically updated, with new copies delivered to you when a new set of standards were written?
Here are some of the things that are included in that cost. The professional development is especially important – you will receive 6 hours of professional development for every 250 students. This professional development is customized to meet your needs and includes face-to-face training sessions for your staff.
Additionally, Discovery Education provides weekly webinars for anyone to attend and the site includes several online tutorials to assist teachers in navigating the wealth of information available to them.
As an administrator, you know that the technology has got to work in order for it to be a useful addition to your teaching toolbox. With discovery, your technical support staff are heavily supported as your district implements the Techbook. How it is implemented in your district is highly customizable and our team is ready to work with your staff to ensure a smooth transition.
The instructional practices that are present in Techbook are continually supported by the Discovery Educator Network and the Professional Development team at Discovery Education
Are there any items on your rubric that I didn’t address? Any other questions?
