Introduction

Today we were given the chance to explore the app ‘book creator’. This is an application that can be downloaded onto an electronic devices, such as an I pad, which allows you to create an eBook. The oxford dictionary defines eBooks as “An electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a computer or a specifically designed handheld device” (Oxford Dictionary, 2019). The app allows children of all ages to transform their favourite book or nursery rhyme into an eBook, while allowing them to demonstrate their creative skills. Our task today, was to use the I pads and create a summary of a children’s book or nursey rhyme, of our choice, using the book creator app. Using I pads within different curricular areas allows children to work collaboratively and develop their communication skills with others. I was looking forward to this session as I was excited to explore the app and become aware of the major benefits of using electronic devices within the classroom.

After furthering my research on the use of I pads within classrooms, the research and feedback gathered was mainly positive. A report that stood out to me was a research task conducted by the University Of Hull (2012). Their aim was to investigate the impact the use of personal tablet devices has on both teaching and learning within schools. Some of the key findings include;

• Over 90% of pupils believed using the I pads within lessons enabled them to learn more.
• Using I pads in classrooms engaged both teachers and pupils equally.
• “The use of iPads has enabled many more students to express their creativity, to engage in peer assessment and in group critique” page 10
• 75% of parents stated that their children were more willing to complete their homework tasks (Burden et al, 2012)

Despite this positive feedback, there are also negative findings towards the use of I pads within classrooms. It is thought that when using electronic devices within lessons some children see it as an opportunity to carry on and not fully focus. Children can be easily distracted when using I pads within the class especially when working alongside friends. Therefore, as a teacher I would carefully monitor lessons whereby I pads are being used and make the rules clear to ensure children are consistently engaged.

The task

For today’s task, we were given the opportunity to work either independently or in pairs and become familiar with the app book creator, by re-creating a popular children’s story or nursery rhyme. I decided to work in a pair for this task, which I believe benefited me as it allowed us to share ideas and link our skills together. We decided we were going to focus on the nursery rhyme ‘Incy Wincy Spider’. As this is a fairly short nursey rhyme we decided to include the full rhyme within the e-book. We linked our e-book to the following experiences and outcomes:

• I explore sounds, letters and words, discovering how they work together, and I can use what I learn to help me as I read and write. (E NG 0-12a / LIT 0-13a / LIT 0-21a )
• I enjoy exploring and choosing stories and other texts to watch, read or listen to, and can share my likes and dislikes. (LIT 0-01b / LIT 0-11b)
• I can demonstrate a range of basic problem solving skills by building simple programs to carry out a given task, using an appropriate language.TCH 1-15a
• I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts. TCH 1-01a

We started off by choosing our background colour which we ensured was accessible for all children as research has suggested a plain white background makes it difficult for some children to read. We then created our cover page, which included our title in large font and a picture of a spider. We simply then added different pages including sound, pictures and drawings making our book multi-modal and more interactive for children. Multi-modality is an aspect we have already explored the benefits of within this module which is why I am eager to include it as it is proven to be incredibly engaging for children. Finally, we added activities and questions at the end of the book which would allow children to reflect on their reading and challenge themselves. When watching the activity on the app it allows you to include audio of someone reading out the book, which is a great feature for children to use. However, the video I have attached unfortunately doesn’t include the narrator feature.

Conclusion

Overall, I found this app very simple to navigate and enjoyed exploring the different features which can be incorporated throughout the book which make it increasingly more interactive and enjoyable for pupils. This app is definitely something I want to use in the future as I would love to see the different things children create. I think I pads are a great learning tool for pupils which allows them to develop both their literacy and ICT skills while working collaboratively.

References 

Oxford Dictionary. (2019) [online] Available: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/e-book [Accessed: 1st March 2019]

Burden et al. (2012) iPad Scotland Evaluation. [Moodle Resource] Available: http://moodle1819.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/39914/mod_resource/content/2/Scotland-iPad-Evaluation.pdf [Accessed: 1st March 2019]

Education Scotland. (n.d.) Curriculum for Excellence.[Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/All-experiencesoutcomes18.pdf [Accessed: 1st March 2019]