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Create amazing multi-touch eBooks with Bookry Widgets for iBooks Author

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Bookry is a complimentary service for iBooks Author that lets you add amazing interactive widgets to your ebooks and interact with readers.

As an author you can also benefit from other great features like widget analytics and push updates. As a reader, you have easy access to all the data you’ve entered into your multi-touch ebooks.

Five new widget releases at Bookry.com Widget Generator, including backgrounds, high res widget icons and languages to Word Search. Look out for Quiz coming soon and follow them on twitter @thebookry, via our blog and on YouTube.

Bookry is a pretty cool place to find more widgets for use with iBooks Author.  I have been trying them and am pretty amazed and some of the functionality.  Seems to fill the gaps I was needing.

New Widget: Checklist
Whether it’s for an ingredients list or an end-of-chapter revision summary, this widget offers real value to your readers. Using our unique online widget generator, you can create your Checklists and place them into iBooks Author in a matter of minutes.

New Widget: SchoolTube
Keep the size of your iBooks down by streaming your videos from SchoolTube.  This widget works in exactly the same way as our YouTube and Vimeo widgets. SchoolTube.com is the USA’s largest K-12 moderated video sharing platform, specifically designed for students and educators.

New Widget: RSS News Reader
A simple yet brilliant way of keeping your iBook up-to-date with the latest news.  This widget pushes an RSS feed out to the widget in your iBook, so that it updates every time the book connects to the internet. Your readers will always get the latest information on your organization, course, event, product, service etc.

Update: Word Search Supports Multiple Languages
Due to popular demand we’ve now updated Word Search to support multiple languages. When generating your puzzle you can now choose a language from the drop-down list under ‘Live Settings’. Languages are French, German, Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish and Welsh and more will be added soon.

Featured Book – Toya Toucan and You Can Too!
This month we feature a wonderfully crafted iBook from leading children’s publisher Chungaboo.  Aimed at children who are learning to read, but suitable for kids aged from 5 to 10, ‘Teya Toucan and You can Too!’ combines a great animated story with fun games and puzzles to aid the learning process.

Quick Poll – Win a Bookry T-Shirt
Are you proud of your Bookry widgets and think that others may like them too? We’ve had some requests for an iBA Widget Sharing Library.  Is this something that you’d like and would contribute towards? Take our quick poll and be in with a chance of winning a Bookry T-Shirt!

Widget Icon Fix – We’ve Banished the Blur!
You may have noticed that when you tap on a widget icon in an iBook the icon enlarges and looks blurred when doing so. We’ve made two updates to Bookry that will help resolve this issue.

New Widget: Ustream (live event video)
Present live streaming video to your readers, right from inside the iBook!  With this widget you can place an embedded version of any Ustream video into your book, and is perfect for conferences, seminars, lectures and other live events.

Keep your iBook Fresh without Re-publishing
A quick video showing how one iBook has cleverly used the Word Search widget to keep their iBook content fresh.  By updating the live settings on the widget generator they can push new updates out to the iBook on the iBookstore on a weekly basis.

Generate Even More Professional Looking Widgets!
We’ve listened to your feedback and introduced a new range of background options that will make your widgets look even more stunning. Find new settings on existing widgets that support backgrounds, and also on some of our other widgets, including Slider Puzzle and Feedback.

Great Book: iPad in Education for Dummies, don’t be fooled by the title!

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I have this book, bought it for my iPad and have enjoyed reading it.  Tons of good information and ideas for using iPads in the classroom.   It is worth the read!

Sam Gliksman is very pleased to announce his new book, “iPad in Education for Dummies” is now shipping and available at most major retail and online booksellers.

Don’t however be fooled by the title:

1. It’s a book for all levels: The book is a part of the very popular “for Dummies” series of books – hence the title. The book is however written for anyone interested in the use of iPads for educational purposes – whether beginner or advanced, teacher or parent, administrator or in-class educator.

2. It’s primarily about education: The book really should have been titled, “Education using iPads” rather than “iPads in Education”. Most Dummies books tend to be how-to manuals but this is primarily a book about education and focuses on the use and integration of iPads into 21st century learning initiatives. Yes, you will learn how to use iPads but it will be within the context of educational goals and objectives that prepare our students for life in the modern world.

Some of the early reviews from readers have been very positive:

- “Wow! Phenomenal! … The comprehensive, organized view of iPads in the classroom that this book offers is going to facilitate such growth in iPad deployment. “

- “a wonderfully executed book …  I will certainly be recommending this book to teachers and administrators.”

- “This book takes much of the myth and misconception away from utilizing the iPad in the classroom. You’ve created the iPad Guide that I will be recommending again and again.”

- “This book did a great job of explaining the iPad in an educational setting. The author Sam Gliksman was spot on when explaining the educational advantages of an iPad when used correctly.”

- “I am buying a copy for the school principal, head of our PTA and my children’s teachers so they can lead our school to incorporate technology and benefit from the full spectrum of possibilities that iPads can bring to our children’ education.”

- “take the iPad from a nice toy to a powerful teaching tool.”

iPads are outselling Macbooks into schools at a rate of 2:1 and sales estimates to educational institutions range upwards of 8 million units. Entire school districts are looking at adopting iPad initiatives.  Huge amounts of money are being invested in mobile educational technology. Hopefully, “iPads in Education for Dummies” will provide some clarity and direction for the use of iPads as a means of addressing important educational objectives.

The book is available through Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/iPad-Education-For-Dummies-Gliksman/dp/1118375386 and also through other major booksellers.

Visit iPads in Education at: http://ipadeducators.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

iTunes U courses that serve as great resources for iPads in the Classroom

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Apps for the Classroom by Arkansas

Apps 101 – from Arkansas

https://itun.es/us/jdihE

This course is a self paced or instructor led professional development training for administrators and classroom teachers. Productivity, creativity, and utility apps for educational use will be the center of discussion in this course. Paid and Free apps for the iPad will be discussed during this session. Apps for content areas will be featured in other courses.

To subscribe to an iTunes U course, click View in iTunes. https://itun.es/us/jdihE

Integrating iPads into the Classroom by Union University

iPads 101 – from Union University

https://itun.es/us/CaPsF

This course is designed to introduce educators at all levels to the iPad, while also helping them understand how to successfully integrate the iPad into teaching and learning environments.  Regardless of your perspective for one-to-one iPad programs, it is probable that you have decided to view this course to become more familiar with how to integrate iPads into your classroom.  Such integration includes two key elements:

  • Training on how to technologically use an iPad
  • Training on how to use an iPad for classroom learning.
To this end, the purpose of this course is twofold and will focus on each of the two aforementioned areas.  Namely, this will include technological skills training (i.e., how to use an iPad) and technology integration training (i.e., how to integrate an iPad into classroom learning).

To subscribe to an iTunes U course, click View in iTunes. https://itun.es/us/CaPsF

10 Lessons From the Best District in the Country

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If they haven’t been tossed already, textbooks at Mooresville Graded School District sit unused, piled in corners of classrooms. Desks are no longer neatly arranged in rows, and students rarely sit quietly and listen to extended lectures.

Results of this transformation are off the charts—the graduation rate for African-American students was 95 percent in 2012, up from 67 percent five years earlier. The overall graduation rate is the third highest in the state, and 88 percent of 2012 graduates are attending college, compared with 74 percent in 2007. Mooresville has accomplished this while keeping spending in check—among the state’s 115 school districts, it ranks 100th in spending per student at $7,463.

Read the full story, CLICK HERE

Subtext: Interactive App to Turn Any Book or Document into a Digital Classroom.

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My friend, Dr. Wesley Fryer, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, invited me to participate in an blended learning course he is doing with teachers in Montana.  Currently, I am using his book first eBook Playing with Media in my college class.

Fryer’s new book, which is in progress Mapping Media to the Common Core is the focus of the course.  He is teaching a course to 32 Montana Teachers using Edmodo, Subtext, and more.

So why is this so cool?  As teachers everywhere are struggling to create QUALITY online learning, I think Wesley has found a viable option through Subtext (http://www.subtext.com/).

Subtext is a free iPad app that allows classroom groups to exchange ideas in the pages of digital texts. You can also layer in enrichment materials, assignments and quizzes—opening up almost limitless opportunities to engage students and foster analysis and writing skills.

Subtext seems like a great way to do a book study.  Part of every teachers problems is squeezing in meetings and stuff.  For example, we have a wonderful book study going on in the College of Education right now and I cannot participate because it overlaps my class.  If the book was available in eBook format (not sure if it is), this could be taking place both face-to-face and through Subtext.  Wow, what a concept.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to admit that I had added the free Subtext app to my iPad some time ago, but had not used.  In a nutshell, add your digital book  or document to Subtext, and you can read and discuss it all in one place.

I have read the first chapter of Mapping Media to the Common Core.  I found it very easy it load the digital book into Subtext and then read, click on links, watch the example videos, etc.   Exciting to see the comments of others as I read and have the ability to add my own thoughts to the discussion.  Just seems like a powerful tool.

I can see the usefulness of Subtext on the iPad.  Now, if all my students had an iPad I would be all set. I do have one section of my class that is iPads only, so I will be showing Subtext to them next week.

Check out the Why Subtext page for more details http://www.subtext.com/why-subtext.

And you can even save articles from the web to Subtext. This has real possibilities for course content.

I love the timeline  feature that  shows the participation.  Now, I could really see if a student had read and discussed instead of just hoping they read the article. or chapter

 

 

It also works with Edmodo! I am also using Edmodo in my class, and the fact that Subtext integrates with Edmodo, makes it even better. Oh, the possibilities!

 

It is FREE, why not give it a try.

Subtext: http://www.subtext.com/

iTunes Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/subtext/id457556753?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Thanks Wesley for including me and sharing.  You ROCK!

3rd grader ‘s published their first iBook and it is FREE

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The Life of an Eanes Pioneer Child
by Laura Wright’s Third Grade Class
Eanes Elementary (Austin, TX)

This book is available for download on your iPad with iBooks or on your computer with iTunes. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/life-eanes-pioneer-child/id595702755?mt=11

Travel back in time and learn about Texas pioneer history with this interactive book created by Ms. Wright’s third grade students at Eanes Elementary School. The students use photo and video reenactments to share what life was like in our community over a century ago.

This is such a wonderful project.  Ms. Wright’s 3rd graders are rockin.’  What a super first attempt and I am sure an amazing learning experience for these students.  This is what education should be about.

I encourage any teacher with a Mac to download iBooks Author, FREE form the Mac App store and give this a try.  Clearly it is doable.

If you teach in a  PC Windows environment, you could make something similar using the iPad App, Book Creator ($5.49).  It is not iBooks Author, but very good.

Download it for FREE for your iPad and open in iBooks.

Why some schools are making the switch to digital textbooks

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Why some schools are making the switch to digital textbooks
For schools using electronic textbooks, students are receiving up-to-date information about current events, research and other matters as publishers can make almost-instant changes. Educators and others say the benefits of the switch to electronic textbooks include the speed at which they can be updated, the lower cost and the vast resources they open up for students. However, officials also point out that many students do not have access to such technology and stress that districts must focus on teacher training when rolling out digital textbooks.

Click here to read the full story: U.S. News & World Report/The Associated Press (3/6)     

‘Big Three’ Publishers Rethink K-12 Strategies

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Published Online: February 6, 2013, Published in Print: February 6, 2013, as Digital Shift

Arizona’s Vail school district is the kind of customer that gives big textbook publishers pause.

The 12,000-student school district swapped out printed textbooks for digital material in 2006, but students aren’t using e-textbooks. Instead, the district collects instructional materials the way a teenager creates a song playlist, taking digital content from various places, often for free. Meanwhile, for a fee, the Vail district shares its electronic library of resources with 68 partner districts across the state.

“We are not beholden at all to the big textbook publishers,” says Superintendent Calvin Baker. “We used to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in the textbook cycle, but we don’t do that anymore.”

Read the full story: CLICK HERE

“BlogBooker: From your Blog to a Book.”

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BlogBooker produces a high-quality PDF Blog Book from all your blog’s entries and comments.
Archives can be generated from any blog running on WordPress, LiveJournal (and derivatives) or Blogger.

The whole process takes about 3-4 minutes, depending on the size of your blog.

Blogbooker is a FREE service offered thanks to donations.

How does it work?

You submit an export file provided by your blog system to BlogBooker.
Your file is verified and all linked images are fetched.
Entries, Comments and Images are assembled into a high-quality PDF.
PDF is provided without any restriction and thus can be submitted for printing to third-parties.

How to export your blog?

Exporting your WordPress blog.
Exporting your Blogger blog.
LiveJournal export/backup is automatically handled.

Why?

You can print your BlogBook and make it real, read it more comfortably or share it with friends, publish it …
The main purpose is to let you have an archive of your blog/journal. The PDF embeds all images and is consistent over time.

If you want to learn and use EVERNOTE, download this!

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I have been reading Jordan’s Blog for a while now and learning from him.  I just downloaded his new Evernote Student Handbook and it is excellent. Worth every penny!  I have to admit I am looking forward to doing more with Evernote myself and with my pre-service teachers this semester.  I barely introduced it last semester.

I was slow in starting to use Evernote, had it on all my devices for quite some time before I started using.  And now I am hooked.  There are so many possibilities.  It is really helping me to be more organized and keep track of all the “stuff.”

If you are new to Evernote or still trying to figure out why and how to use Evernote, spend $4.99 and and dowload Jordan’s handbook, I am confident it will get your started and on your way to using Evernote successfully.

The Evernote Student Handbook– by

To help my junior high students get acclimated with using Evernote at school, I wrote this handbook as a step-by-step guide. At the beginning of the year, very few of my students were familiar with using Evernote, but now many of my students are independent users.

Because this handbook has helped my students (and especially their parents) learn to use Evernote for school, it’s now available for $4.99 as a PDF download.

To purchase the book, click here.

If you’d prefer, you may try a sample of the handbook here.

I definitely hope that you purchase the book, but if not, be sure to also download the ebook created from the handbook titled    19 Practical Evernote Ideas for Students.

http://evernoteforstudents.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/handbook-is-available/

 

 

Duncan sees traditional textbooks becoming obsoleteEducation chief wants textbooks to go digital

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Education chief wants textbooks to go digital

Education Secretary Arne Duncan declared Tuesday that traditional textbooks should become obsolete in the “next few years” and that schools should shift to digital textbooks. Advocates say that digital textbooks are less costly and give students better access to up-to-date resources. Douglas Levin, executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, says Common Core State Standards could make the process easier for states to collaborate to make the transition without individually having to “reinvent the wheel.”

Read the full story: FederalNewsRadio.com/The Associated Press

How to Make an iBook | Mac|Life

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See on Scoop.it – Technology in the Classroom , 1:1 Laptops & iPads and MORE

Not long ago, writers were entirely at the mercy of the picky publishers who stood between an author and his or her potential readership. But thanks to the rise of digital books and open publishing platforms like Apple’s iBookstore, anyone can get their stuff out there and have a shot at finding an audience. And with the added interactivity of the iBooks format, authors can raise their books to a new kind of next-generation reading experience. You’d think that producing such a book would require high-level programming skills, but no–Apple has taken its trademark approach to empowering the masses with easy creation tools to digital bookmaking with iBooks Author (Mac App Store, free).
See on www.maclife.com

PROFESSOR AT K-STATE DEVELOPS TEXTBOOK FLEXIBILITY

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Predictions that electronic textbooks would push traditional books to the back shelf on college campuses have so far proved overly optimistic.

But Brian Lindshield remains a big believer.

The assistant professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University has developed an online teaching product that relies on flexbook technology. That’s “flex” as in “flexibility.”

Designed primarily to be read online, Lindshield’s flexbook includes plenty of visuals, with links to videos, animations, current events and other relevant materials that can be found on the Web. As such, it suits many learning styles.

But perhaps the best part is that Lindshield’s book is free……

Read the full story…….. http://ireader.olivesoftware.com/Olive/iReader/KCS/SharedArticle.ashx?document=KCS\2012\08\25&article=Ar01203

See on Scoop.it – Technology in the Classroom , 1:1 Laptops & iPads and MORE

N.C. district expects iPads to cut textbook expenses

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OLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — Some of the best students in Brunswick County are now working with some of the best technology in the world. Their school spent close to $60,000 in a long-term cost-cutting measure.

Students at Brunswick County Early College High School have long been No. 1 with a No. 2 pencil. Now teachers are asking them to put down the pen and paper and pick up a brand new iPad.
See on http://www.wwaytv3.com/2012/08/15/school-bucks-books-for-ipads-to-save-money

See on Scoop.it – Technology in the Classroom , 1:1 Laptops & iPads and MORE

Boundless – The Free Textbook Replacement

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Boundless just launched the public beta version of its brand new site. What is Boundless? It’s a way to easily turn all of the open source information that exists in the world into a simple easy-to-use digital textbook. And it’s free.

This is one of the most exciting announcements that came across my inbox over the past few weeks. Boundless is shaping up to truly disrupt the digital textbook industry and the newly launched tools are robust enough to do just that. But enough hyperbole and hot air, here’s what you should know:

See on www.boundless.com

See on Scoop.it – Technology in the Classroom , 1:1 Laptops & iPads and MORE

Learning and Teaching with iPads: Students construct knowledge with their own iBooks

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I was recently at Our Lady of the Angels Rouse Hill doing a workshop with them in creating iBooks using iBooks Author. The Principal Eva La Rocco and the teachers saw the main benefit for the software as a way of students demonstrating their own understanding and knowledge by creating an iBook that incorporated all their work. The focus being for the students to create content rather than it being pushed to them via a teacher created iBook textbook.
See on learningwithipads.blogspot.ca

See on Scoop.it – Technology in the Classroom , 1:1 Laptops & iPads and MORE

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