Dive Brief:

• Teachers can use innovative strategies in order to better engage students with blended learning and new tech approaches in the classroom.
• Gamification can help by appealing to students' natural competitiveness and a desire to amass rewards, while fostering cooperation by using team approaches to critical thinking and problem solving.
• Two other tactics are dropping traditional lectures in order to have two-way conversations, and using peer-to-peer instruction, which encourages independence, empowers young learners, and builds confidence and leadership skills.

Dive Insight:

Teachers can diversify their instruction and increase the appeal of traditional subjects with the incorporation of even just a little interactivity. Instead of using traditional textbooks alone, slices of audio and video can spice up lessons. So can using a more context-heavy approach to subjects like history and engaging in conversations around subjectivity and transparency. 

Some digital textbooks are available for Kindle, iPad and other e-readers. Companies like McGraw-Hill have also offered models that combine traditional textbooks and new models like "homework help centers" in the city public libraries. It's also possible for educators to use low- or no-cost alternatives, by using open-source curricula and digital tools from nonprofits like CK-12.