The world is becoming increasingly digital, and the education sector is not immune to this change either. Physical classrooms have metamorphosed into online classrooms and regular books to eBooks.
The latest in digital books is video books, a revolutionary visual learning format. Many educational institutions have started converting textbooks to video books and reaping their many benefits.
This blog will tell you all you need to know about video books, the next generation of eBooks.
What is a Video Book?
Unlike other books, a video book is an upgraded version of the traditional PDF eBook that provides learners with an audiovisual experience. It replaces text with videos that students and teachers can view by streaming them online.
Learners can listen to the text being read aloud by professional voice-over artists and follow visual cues to know exactly what word they hear. The text content is supplemented by diagrams, charts, graphs, illustrations, etc., that appear on the screen along with the narration.
Video books undoubtedly promote a more interactive method of teaching and learning that is fit for today’s generation with a relatively shorter attention span.
It also enables authors to reach out to wider audiences, including those who prefer reading books on their gadgets through audiovisual mediums rather than reading the physical copy.
Features of Video Books
Content Components
The basic content of a videobook is videos, unlike eBooks or traditional printed books, where text occupies most of the book. The videos can be footage collected from cameras or any other sources.
While reading a videobook, the pictures and video books will display on your screen along with the narration in the background. Thus, the technology is one step ahead of textbook readers that merely read written text aloud.
This not only makes learning effective and enjoyable but also helps students retain them longer.
Delivery Style
Video books typically have a web-based delivery in video format. Students can download the videos by paying a fee or by subscribing.
Focus
Video books focus on teaching students a particular topic or concept. They are task-based videos.
Foster Self-Pace Learning
With video books, students can learn at any pace they want. Once they have access to the books, they can download the video content and watch it anytime.
Though the videos are presented in a recommended order, students can skip the order and watch any video they like first. Hence, they provide students the freedom to learn at their own pace and own way in their free time.
Customizable Content
Video books also allow subject experts to arrange their videos and prepare content any way they like. The customizability enables experts to prepare full-fledged courses from which learners can take value.
Connectivity Requirement
Students require the internet to download video content. However, once downloaded, they can watch them in offline mode as well without needing an internet connection.
Portability
Video books are portable. Students can watch them on any portable device, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.
Target Group
The consumers of video books are usually individual students wanting to enhance their knowledge on a particular topic instead of corporations or companies.
Cost
Video books are very cost-effective to prepare and easy to develop. There are many low-cost screen-capturing software available that can be used to create high-quality video content.
Method of Preparation
The process of making a videobook is similar to creating digital books. A few software that is used to prepare video books are:
- PowerPoint for presentation
- Screen capturing software
- Text-to-speech software for audio commentary
With these tools, anyone can prepare a videobook with little experience. The good thing is that the video content can be continually updated and fine-tuned according to the learner’s feedback and re-released.
Video Books for Marketers
For marketers, it is extremely crucial to measure readers’ engagement and track the marketing content’s performance. The same is easier with video books than with traditional eBooks.
While you can track the number of downloads in eBooks, measuring how far they are read or if any sections are skipped is difficult. Thus, measuring the downloads alone does not reflect the true user engagement metric.
That’s why many marketers have moved from traditional eBooks to audiobooks to market their products and services. The use of an engaging format enhances the user experience while giving marketers an understanding of their reach and performance. They can use video analytic tools to measure:
- How many times they’ve been played
- How long they’ve been watched
- Which parts have been skipped by viewers
- The percentage of completion
- Have the videos been re-watched?
These metrics give marketers a clear picture of user engagement and help them optimize their marketing efforts.
Video Books for School Students
A lot has changed in the past decade regarding the way students pursue academics.
With more and more academic institutions going online and remote learning becoming the norm, video books have become a convenient and fun way of learning. Whether children need to learn mathematics or history, understanding the concept becomes much easier with video illustrations on their screens.
Similarly, cramming for exams with bulky books becomes cumbersome. Learning through video books becomes their best option as it enables them to quickly revise their subjects without demanding reading thousands of pages or sitting in a certain posture. Students can also study on the move while traveling.
Video Books for Deaf Children
A majority of deaf children face problems communicating properly with their parents and teachers. The limited conversation they have may limit their language development and thinking abilities.
Even among hearing-impaired children without intellectual disabilities, the functional literacy rate is low. This gap can be closed with the help of video books.
Innovative technology like video books can transform education for deaf students. The books include captions or ASL interpreters for deaf or hard of hearing students. They promote reading and learning in deaf students and help them connect with other deaf students and adults.
Video Books Are the Next Generation eBooks!
Video books are beneficial for people from all walks of life. They improve learning among students and help teachers provide a wholesome learning experience to their pupils.
For marketers, video books are the medium to reach a larger audience and deliver content to their potential leads in the most engaging format.
Thus, it won’t take long for video books to replace eBooks and take reading to another level.