At ISTELive 22, educators will see tools that streamline the assignment and purchase of curricular digital class sets

 

CLEVELAND – June 23, 2022 – For required curriculum books, teachers seek integrated solutions that can save time while providing more personalized learning experiences. In response, OverDrive Education announced that educators can soon use a Google Classroom add-on to assign ebook and digital audiobook titles in the Sora student reading app. Coupled with on-demand digital class sets that can be purchased and used in bulk-with or without a code-the combined tool set simplifies the provision of curriculum books to students.

Educators can learn about these new tools for Sora at ISTELive 22 Booth #1824 in New Orleans from June 27-29. The Sora app serves more than 55,000 schools worldwide with the industry’s best catalog and award-winning user experience.

“Brush School District loves using the Sora add-on for Google Classroom,” said Scott Trautwein, Director of Technology at Brush School District in Colorado. “It’s easy to use with no training, and allows us to assign lessons based on our ebook library built right into Sora. A huge time saver, especially for classes that read entire book sets like High School English.”

Google Classroom add-on

Later this year, educators can manage their reading assignments in the same place they manage all their learning tools: Google Classroom. With Google Classroom add-ons, teachers can assign the Sora student reading app’s ebook and audiobook titles directly to students. Through this integration, teachers can search for titles, then attach them to their assignment without leaving their Google Classroom. Students receiving the assignment can automatically open the digital book directly in the Sora app. Currently in beta, the Sora Google Classroom add-on will be widely available to educators worldwide later this year.

On-Demand Class Sets

Another new tool for educators is the On-Demand Class Sets digital lending model for curriculum titles. This lending model, available to schools in the coming months, ensures every student has access to the books that are required for English language arts, history, social science or other classes. Educators can buy digital On-Demand Class Sets in bulk to correspond with the modules they plan throughout the course of their adoption cycle, and then furnish them to students whenever they are needed, all without rostering. When the title is borrowed by a student in the Sora app, On-Demand Class Sets titles will be available for 90 days, which typically exceeds the time required for a module or unit of study.

Units can be purchased up-front in any quantity; there’s no upper limit, and class set prices start at $0.99 per student to $5.99 and up. More than 300,000  titles will be available in this model, including some of the most-read curriculum books in schools, such as Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

A primary benefit of digital books is that they ensure every student has access to the books they need to succeed with required reading. “On-Demand Class Sets also solve other common problems in curriculum deployments,” noted Angela Arnold, General Manager of OverDrive Education. “They allow schools to lock in today’s pricing, even for use that will occur in subsequent years, which is school budget-friendly. Digital books are a remedy to the recent supply chain disruptions schools have encountered with print distribution of trade books.”

Arnold adds, “Unlike print, reading data is available with ebooks and digital audiobooks to help teachers see how students are engaging with core texts.” Together with the Google Classroom add-on, digital On-Demand Class Sets can be provided to students with just a tap or two within the teacher’s familiar Google workspace.

Visit ISTE Booth #1824 from June 27-29 to learn more about the upcoming Google Classroom add-on and On-Demand Class Sets. Attend presentations in the booth to hear educators from around the country share how they are implementing digital content and Sora to engage their students and staff:

Monday

  • Decoding digital reading: Tools & outreach to foster literacy success – 12:30pm CST
  • Edtech partner spotlight: Sora + ClassLink – 2:30pm
  • Ready, Set, Go! Discover ways to foster engagement on Sora with literacy promotions and select curations – 4:30pm

Tuesday

  • Getting Sora started with your students & staff – 9:30am
  • Bringing digital content to the forefront with Sora – 10:30am
  • Keys to adopting Sora in a large urban district – 12:30pm
  • Curation + Outreach + Class Sets = A recipe for reading success – 2:30pm
  • Edtech partner spotlight: Sora + Google Classroom – 3:30pm

Wednesday

  • Roadmap to holistic, district-wide Sora implementation with Granite SD – 9:30am
  • Strategies to get your school community reading with Sora – 10:30am
  • Transforming your curriculum with digital class sets – 12:30pm

Find more information about the Sora app for schools and visit us at ISTE Booth #1824.

 

About OverDrive Education and the Sora student reading app

OverDrive Education, a division of OverDrive, offers the industry’s largest catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines and other content for over 55,000 K-12 schools and millions of students worldwide. The company’s student reading app, Sora, provides every student with access to the right books. Supporting the need to read required curriculum titles, class sets and pleasure reading digital books, Sora’s powerful learning tools and insights help meet the needs of students and educators. Sora was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2019. Acquired in 2021, TeachingBooks.net complements Sora with one of the largest catalogs of original and curated literary resources. Founded in 1986, OverDrive – the leading digital reading platform for libraries – and OverDrive Education are based in Cleveland, Ohio USA. www.overdrive.com/schools

Contact:
David Burleigh
Director of Brand Marketing & Communications
dburleigh@overdrive.com

 

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