Education software outfit Kno has partnering with publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to offer interactive textbooks for K–12 students. The digital titles are available for the iPad, Android, Windows 7 and the Web, with topics spanning the Common Core State Standards.
The textbooks are available for $9.99 or less for a one-year rental and are geared for home use, according to the Santa Clara-based company’s release, and aimed for purchase by parents to “supplement classroom learning through enhanced digital content at home.” “Even if the schools have not adopted digital textbooks,” says Kno CEO Osman Rashid.
The Kno digital textbook app is available today for the iPad and Web and will be coming soon for Android tablets and Windows 7.
“By offering digital access to enhanced K–12 content on the go and at home, this collaboration will empower parents to get more involved in their children’s education. We know parental involvement is an important factor in student achievement, and we’re proud to be the first content provider to bring Kno’s technology to the K–12 world,” says Tim Cannon, HMH’s EVP of Strategy and Alliances.
The interactive features of Kno textbooks include:
- • A digital journal that automatically saves a student’s notes and highlights them in a study notebook.
- • Automatic flash cards of key terms.
- • 3-D models that bring difficult chemistry concepts to life.
- • A Quiz Me feature, which automatically turns any diagram in a book into a multiple-choice quiz for study before tests.
- • SmartLinks that deliver instructional videos, images, and photos to formulas and concepts in a textbook in real time.
Coming soon, Kno promises an analytics feature that will enable engagement between parents and students to measure reading progress.
About Kathy Ishizuka