Digital Content

Putnam City Schools is in the process of creating digital content to replace traditional textbooks. The reasons for the changeover are many:

• Digital content contains the content of traditional textbooks but makes learning richer by linking text to additional articles, historic videos, online animations to explain complex processes and much more.
• There is evidence that digital content improves student achievement. Textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt tested an interactive, digital version of an Algebra 1 textbook for the iPad in California's Riverside Unified School District. Students who used the iPad version scored 20 percent higher on standardized tests versus students who learned with traditional textbooks.
• Digital content helps students learn more quickly. According to the U.S. Department of Education and studies by the National Training and Simulation Association, technology-based instruction can reduce the time students take to reach a learning objective by 30 to 80 percent.
• Digital content saves money. For example, new math textbooks for students in grades 6 and 7 would cost around $90 a book. Instead, Putnam City teachers worked together using open source digital textbooks, online resources and state standards to create 6th-grade and 7th-grade digital content at a cost of about $5 a book.
• Digital content exactly matches Oklahoma’s learning standards. Traditional textbooks, written for use across the nation, take a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t fit Oklahoma’s unique standards.
• Digital content is up to date. Traditional printed textbooks are up-to-date only the moment they are printed. Digital textbooks developed by Putnam City are updated each year, and more often if needed.

In the column at right is the digital content developed so far for use in Putnam City schools. Students may use these links to download content on to their own phones, tablets or other devices. Parents may use these links to review the content.

Content is in an ePub format. Windows and android users may need to download an ePub reader such as Calibre. You can download it here. ePub will open natively on all modern Apple devices.