EdCamp Global - iBook and eBook Creation

Are you interested in Creating iBooks and eBooks to Personalize and Publish Student Learning? If you are thinking "Yes!," then click the link below to join the Google Hangout for this EdCamp Global session.

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Session Description: August 1, 12:00 P.M. CDT

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There are lots of reasons to create iBooks/eBooks for your students. Maybe the textbook for the content area that you teach is out-dated and you want your students to have up-to-date information. Perhaps it is difficult to find or expensive to purchase leveled reading books or books with a controlled set of vocabulary for your students. Maybe you are creating supplemental materials to go along with your content area text and you want to nicely package text and multimedia together. Or maybe you want to  provide a more authentic, project-based, and shareable method for students to show what they learned in your class or during Genius Time. Whatever the reason, it is easy to create and publish iBooks/eBooks and distribute them. Join the conversation and share your knowledge as part of EdCamp Global.

Click here to participate in the Hangouts On Air Event Page

Shared Resources:
Join the conversation and chime in during the hangout and add resources to the shared Google Doc.

Resources:
Several resources are listed below, but please add more resources in the shared Doc or in the comments at the end of the blog post.

iBook and eBook Creation Tools
Book Creator - iPad app and PC computer app
iBooks Author - app for Mac computers
iBooks - iPad and Mac computer app for reading iBooks


Creative Commons Licensed Images
Morgue File
Wylie Image Search
World Images
Animal Photos
The Noun Project
Google Images Advanced Search - Free to Use and Share

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Book Creator For iPad
Great app that allows you to easily create iBooks featuring images, great fonts, narration, music, and video right on the iPad. Simple enough for young students to use but capable of creating beautiful books loaded with interactive elements.

Video
Imports video from Photos/Camera Roll.

Audio
Built-in recording tool or import audio from iTunes library.

Distribution
Dropbox
Website
Google Drive
iTunes - with iTunes Producer
iTunes U
Learning Management System

Sample Books
Book Creator has many sample books pinned on the Book Creator Pinterest page.

Student-created books: (You may need to tap on the image below and wait a few seconds for the dots to appear. Tap on the dots to see student-created books from @MathyCathy.)


Support
There are lots of helpful articles in the Support section of the Book Creator Red Jumper website.

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iBooks Author
iBooks Author is an app that runs on Mac computers and allows you to create multimedia-rich books loaded with swappable and tappable interactive elements in addition to a myriad of fonts, images, slideshows, video, and audio. Built-in and third party widgets allow for self-check reviews, slideshows, image galleries, and 3D objects that can be manipulated.

Video
Format - .mp4 file extension

Audio
Format - AAC  - .m4a file extension

Other Widget Creation Tools
Bookry - sign up for free account
BookWidgets
iAD Producer - free
Tumult Hype

File Types

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iba - editable iBooks Author file
ibooks - finished book - cannot be edited

Distribution
Dropbox
Website
Google Drive
iTunes - with iTunes Producer
iTunes U
Learning Management System

Interactive iBook Example
Sample book showing some of the interactivity that you can quickly create with iBooks Author, the standard iBooks Author widgets, and some of the Bookry widgets.
11.9MB
Downloading on an iPad:
Tap on the link above > Download > Direct download > No thanks, continue to download (at the bottom of the pop up window) > Open in "iBooks" (This won't appear until the book has downloaded to your iPad so there may be a short pause depending on your Internet connection.)

Many free books created with iBooks Author are available for download from the iTunes Store.


Mirroring iPad to Computer

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You can mirror the screen of your iPad onto your computer, which can then be projected or recorded by using the Reflector app on your computer. This makes it easy to project your iPad for your
students or for a presentation while still allowing you to move around the room and to make videos or screencast tutorials of your iPad screen.


Other Apps or Resources?
Are there other apps or resources that I did not mention that you use for creating and publishing books? If yes, please share them in a comment below.

EdCamp Global - iBook and eBook Creation: Personalizing and Publishing Student Learning

Are you interested in Creating iBooks and eBooks to Personalize and Publish Student Learning? If you are thinking "Yes!," then you will want to join the Google Hangout for this EdCamp Global session on Saturday, August 1 at 12:00 P.M. CST.

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Session Description: 

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There are lots of reasons to create iBooks/eBooks for your students. Maybe the textbook for the content area that you teach is out dated and you want your students to have up-to-date information. Perhaps it is difficult to find or expensive to purchase leveled reading books or books with a controlled set of vocabulary for your students. Maybe you are creating supplemental materials to go along with your content area text and you want to nicely package text and multimedia together. Or
maybe you want to  provide a more authentic, project-based, and shareable method for students to show what they learned in your class or during Genius Time. Whatever the reason, it is easy to publish iBooks/eBooks and distribute them. Join the conversation and share your knowledge as part of EdCamp Global.

Session Link:
The link to join the Google Hangout will be posted on this blog on Saturday, August 1 shortly before 12:00 P.M. CST.

What I Learned At My First PLAYDATE

I spent the morning at PLAYDATE at TIES today.

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What is a PLAYDATE?

"PLAYDATE (People Learning and Asking ‘Y,” Digital Age Technology Exploration) is a space for us to come together and collaboratively explore these tools we’ve always wanted to learn more about. Modeled after an unconference or an EdCamp, the sessions will be participant-driven, exploration-based, and hands on."

This video helps explain what PLAYDATE is about:

Another blog entry coming soon with my learning from today, but overall I took away a few key ideas about what makes a PLAYDATE event successful:

1. Like an EdCamp, sessions are proposed and led by participants based on the interests of the group. 

2. Sessions are all about having a discussion, playing with the tool, device, software, etc., and trying things out. 

3. Time to just explore with no pressure is invaluable to thinking about how new technologies, devices, software, ideas fit it with curriculum and instructional practices. 

4. Having the new devices available allows you to explore and play without the pressure of having to vouch for the value-added component of something before you have even had a chance to try it out.  

5. People are key. Having knowledgable people who have tried things, devices, software to some extent already is critical. Being able to tap into their knowledge prevents you from floundering and losing out on the value of exploration with devices or software that have a lot of bells and whistles to figure out.

I give today a giant thumbs up and look forward to the next opportunity to play and learn.

EdCampMN Reflections

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Today was a great day of informal sharing at EdCampMN at the Anderson Student Center on the Hamline University campus.

I participated in sessions on Voxer, edtech coaching, 1:1 Chromebooks, iPads in the classroom, standards-based grading, literacy resources, Twitter, and flexible learning spaces. The EdCamp model of informal group discussion and resource sharing instead of formal presentations offered plenty of opportunities to share work going on in my district and professional interests of my own.

I also had a chance to practice a little sketchnoting and uploaded my sketch here to share. I definitely see the value in visual note-taking and the connections between doodling and summarizing and how it can help students remember content better in the classroom. Sketchnoting also helps teachers document major takeaways from professional development conferences.

EdCampMSP

Kudos to Osseo for organizing and hosting EdCampMSP tomorrow!

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Looking forward to chance to get together with instructional technology leaders, gurus, and advocates from other districts and finding out into what's happening their other places and tapping into their experiences and expertise.

EdCamp MSP

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Do you live in central Minnesota and want to get together with other educational colleagues and educational technology advocates to build a collaborative, constructivist unconference schedule?

Sign up for EdCampMSP hosted by Osseo on October 11.