Revel for English: Demo

Video Transcript

Below is the transcript for the video at: http://youtu.be/lo7hcIPMkMI.

I'm here to talk to you about some of the exciting features you'll find in Revel for English.

In English, reading is never the end game. Instead, reading — whether a textbook, an essay, or a literary work — begins a conversation that plays out in writing. To deepen students' understanding of their reading, Revel complements the written word with a variety of writing opportunities, brief assessments, model documents, rich annotation tools, and in the literature titles, audio/video performances and glossaries of key terms. By providing new ways to interact with their reading and regular opportunities to write, Revel engages students and sets them up to be more successful readers and writers — in and out of class.

Revel offers an immersive learning experience that engages students deeply in Composition, Developmental English,and Literature, while giving them the flexibility to learn their way. Media interactives integrated directly within the narrative enable students to delve further into key concepts and reading selections without breaking stride. With Revel's videos and rich multimedia content, instructors and students have access to cutting-edge videos, audio recordings, animations, and multimedia instruction that provide context enabling students to engage with the text in a more meaningful way. The videos are kept short (3 to 4 minutes), and are embedded into the content, so students don't have to go to multiple places to view them.

Next, in static textbooks, students only have the option of reading the text verbatim and may not fully understand the concepts and theory at work. In Revel, students read a little and do a little with interactive readings and exercises. Figures and model documents that may be overlooked in a textbook now invite students to click them to interact with the information. Plus, robust annotation tools allow students to take notes, and post-reading assignments let instructors monitor their class's completion and understanding of the readings before class begins.

Continuing on, Revel can help students relate concepts, theories, and authors to their own lives. Unique "just-in-time context" — encompassing biographical, historical, and social insights — is incorporated throughout, giving students a deeper understanding of what they read.

Finally, Revel provides students with opportunities to pause from reading, reflect on and gauge their understanding through a variety of writing activities. Low-stakes journaling encourages them to reflect on what they've just read; low-stakes shared writing allows them to engage in discussion with their peers (it's kind of like a discussion board); and higher-stakes writing assignments may use end-of-chapter or instructor-crafted prompts. These low-stakes, medium-stakes, and high-stakes writing tasks allow students multiple opportunities to interact with the ideas presented in the reading assignments, ensuring that they come to class better prepared.

In addition to the writing activities, Revel's low stakes assessments provide students opportunities to check their understanding at regular intervals before moving on. Frequent information retrieval and practice strengthens retention and understanding.

Revel's assignment and tracking tools offer actionable information that help educators intersect with their students in meaningful ways. Educators can indicate precisely which readings must be completed on which dates. This clear, detailed schedule helps students stay on task and keeps them motivated throughout the course.

Monitoring class assignment completion and individual student achievement, such as points earned on low stakes assessments and writing assignments and time on task, helps educators see the progress of their students and their entire class.

Lastly, Revel is also fully mobile, so students can read and interact with course material on their devices, anywhere and anytime.

And there you have it. That was a quick look at just a handful of the valuable features in Revel for English. If you want to learn more, be sure to check out /Revel. Thanks for watching.