I have heard the term electronic books (eBooks) and my understanding was simply a story book in a digital format. Well I read a few articles,did some research and to my surprise the information that I received was more than I bargained for. You see, apart from the basic features of the ebook such as it saves paper, it is simple to resize print, it is a way of preserving books, very easy to access and update, it can also be very effective in the classroom.
As reading specialists this tool is extremely motivational to students and useful in developing skills in literacy. Children in the 21st century are computer savvy and enjoy spending time in front of the computer so why not use this to our advantage and enhance children’s reading skills.
Some other fascinating features are:
1.Hyperlinks can be placed on eBooks to access additional information
2.You can incorporate sound, images or animation in the books
3.Excellent to motivate students to write.
4.Work can be published on eBooks
5.Comments and feedback can be posted on an eBook
Use your ebooks in the classroom and explore ways of teaching vocabulary, skills in fluency, comprehension or even phonics. The sky is the limit! It is up to us to be creative and make learning fun for our children.
I too have been reading about ebooks and was pleasantly surprised about the features of these books. Ebooks seem to offer a wealth of opportunities for teachers in today's classroom.
ReplyDeleteJust to add to your information,ebooks are not meant to replace paper books but instead provide an alternative reading choice for lovers of technology. Like you said,children today are computer savvy. Personally, there is something immensely satisfying about curling up and reading a book but then again, I am yesterday's child. Maybe I will become hooked.
Dr. Jeni Riley,from the Institute of Education, University of London states that ebooks are "powerful motivators" and highly recommends its use as a "shared experience" between the child and parents.
I must admit that i am also excited about ebooks. The ability to create such a Web 2.0 technology is a learning experience in itself. I am just thinking about how exciting the children will be to see their work come to life with this technology. I suppose it is this technology which gave the idea fro the Ipad developed by the Apple company.A dynamic tool which clearly will assist students with literacy and reading problems as students can be taught phonics, letter sound correlation and more. A student friendly tool which we are all looking forward to be using.
ReplyDeleteHi Guys,
ReplyDeleteI too was excited over the prospect of creating e-Books, and when I actually created my customized e-Book, WOW! I couldn’t even concentrate in class after that. I just wanted to get home and start looking at my textbooks for appropriate concepts which I can use to create e-Books. I was trilled beyond words to hear my voice recording and I know, as Terence said, that my students would be just as trilled to create their own e-Book. I foresee my classroom becoming disruptive because my students will not be able to contain themselves. As such, I will have to set aside some time to settling them down after the novelty of the introduction to e-Books. At least, the noise would be that of great minds and ideas coming to life on the computer screen (and as Angela said, “just the idea of having to look at a computer screen piques students interest”.
Even further, just by the click of a button they can move from page to page; from page to home; and even add voice over text. Hence, to echo Shasta’s words, “it is important for us (as educators of the 21st Century) to be creative and make learning fun for our children [students].” I too, like Terence, am looking forward to introducing e-books to my students.
I-anxiously-leap-into-next-term