Snapplify makes e-textbook procurement easy

For many schools, Snapplify’s simple solutions have made the adoption of digital education easy. Not only have educators seen just how easy procurement and delivery of e-textbooks can be in the digital age, but they’ve discovered how digital tools can transform their classrooms.

Easy-peasy ebook access
While the procurement of physical textbooks can be a lengthy and complicated, purchasing e-textbooks via Snapplify is quick and easy.

Snapplify’s diverse catalogue of high-quality, curriculum-aligned, diverse content from trusted educational publishers – both local and international – means that schools don’t need to deal with multiple providers, nor do they need to worry about titles going out of stock, becoming out of date, or taking time to arrive. Instead, Snapplify is what Colin Zinyeredzi – Resource Centre Manager at Parklands College South Africa – calls a ‘one-stop shop for educational and leisure reading material’. With Snapplify’s prescribed lists, schools can purchase on behalf of students and staff, or direct parents to purchase exactly what they need from the Snapplify Engage e-learning platform, via credit card or EFT. Quality devices are also readily available directly from Snapplify.

Each year, students can be issued with the latest e-textbooks without paper waste or returns of older books. Institutions can also monitor e-textbook usage through Snapplify Insights, and use this valuable data to inform future budgeting decisions and content choices. Colin Zinyeredzi has found this feature particularly useful, saying, ‘The system automatically manages the circulation of resources and even more importantly – it keeps a record of important statistics,’ while his colleague, Martin Levitt, ICT support technician at the same school echoes this, sharing: ‘[Snapplify] has made management much easier in getting the correct content to the learners and educators. Engage is an excellent tool that we use to keep track of our users and the titles they have.’

Several schools using Snapplify have noted how beneficial it is for students to have all their ebooks and e-textbooks in one place. Grant Lewis, ICT integrator at Crawford College La Lucia has spoken about how their ‘learners are loving their ebooks and the Snapplify Reader experience’, going on to say that ‘Snapplify has played a huge part in helping us transform our school into a more effective learning environment.’ Teacher Chanica Gibhard from Oakley House, a remedial school in Cape Town, shares how the reader app has specifically helped her students: ‘It can help every child differently. The technology just makes it a lot easier to target those needs. It brings everything together into one device.”

The best ebooks around
Not only does Snapplify work hard to make access to ebooks simple and seamless, but the company has also ensured that their ebook and e-textbook offering is world-class and widely applicable for schools across multiple regions. With over 285 000 titles, Snapplify boasts the largest catalogue of local and international ebooks in Africa covering multiple curricula, including national curriculum materials for South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe and international curricula such as the Cambridge curriculum and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

After signing up for Engage Basic, schools get immediate, free access to open-source textbooks and teacher guides (e.g. from Siyavula, Sasol Inzalo Foundation, and Ukuqonda Institute). Students are also able to download free past exam papers for revision purposes, children’s books in all official South African languages, as well as classic literature – from Shakespeare’s plays to classic novels and poetry anthologies.
To grow the digital library offering, additional ebooks and e-textbooks from leading local and international publishers can be purchased quickly and easily. As the exclusive digital distributor for Zoom In – the innovative digital study series by Oxford University Press – Snapplify is able to offer users high-quality interactive resources (including free samples) that allow for deeper understanding of the subject matter. Covering the major South African subjects for Grades 10–12, in both English and Afrikaans, the Zoom In interactive products are designed to help students tackle tough exam concepts, giving them the confidence to conquer all their exam questions.

Snapplify’s wide range of leisure reading ebooks is entertaining and informative for readers across various age groups and reading levels – from reluctant readers to budding bookworms. As one Grade 5 learner, Hannah Henderson from Curro Durbanville, shares, ‘I think more people who do not read will read more because you can add more books which have a movie, like Captain Underpants.’ This is especially important as research shows that children who enjoy books are more likely to perform better academically.

Easy integration
Still, while some schools have dived into digital education with both feet, others are dipping their toes in the water, preferring a blended learning approach. With Snapplify, it’s not necessary to abandon older resources, to upgrade existing infrastructure, or to invest heavily in LMSs and devices at the outset.

Not only is the Snapplify Reader application compatible with multiple devices, but Snapplify for Education works seamlessly alongside other e-learning products, integrating with existing education product suites from Google Classroom and Microsoft Education. Another teacher from Oakley House, David Correira, shares how easy it was to register: ‘Since we were already a Google school and using Google Classroom, those email addresses were already set up, so when we moved over to the Snapplify platform, transferring those email addresses across made life a lot easier.’ With these simple administrative tools and forthcoming Google Groups integration, educators can continue teaching digitally and collaborating with students efficiently, without interruptions.

For schools that need new devices, hardware device procurement can be done at the same time as e-textbooks for the new year, through Snapplify’s school portal – Engage.

Ongoing support
Whether students, parents, educators and other staff are au fait with e-learning technology, or whether they need extra support, Snapplify offers extensive technical assistance and excellent customer service. And when it comes to procurement, Snapplify’s friendly sales team can work hand-in-hand with schools on prescribed book lists. ‘[Snapplify] consistently impressed me with their efficiency and competence. From our initial engagements, through the creation of our grade book lists, and on to the customising of our platform, they have guided us every step of the way,’ remarks Grant Lewis, ICT integrator at Crawford College La Lucia, South Africa.

This year, after Snapplify was awarded two prestigious awards at the 2019 Reimagine Education Conference in San Francisco, Nunzio Quacquarelli (CEO of QS Quacquarelli Symonds and co-founder of Reimagine Education) commended Snapplify’s work, saying that ‘we believe that learners in Africa will benefit hugely – and in their millions – from Snapplify’s innovative approach to enhancing e-learning. It is user-friendly, learner-centric, and is doing admirable work to bring more and more schools into the digital age.’ From on-time e-textbook delivery to easy access and technical support, Snapplify has everything your school needs for e-learning success.

Engage Basic also allows schools to try out a limited number of e-learning features for free. Sign up here, or email hello@snapplify.com to chat about your specific needs and how we can work together.