Book Creator

Book Creator is definitely not a new app in town, but an app that we have revisited as a school.  Originally, Book Creator gathered a lot of steam with our teachers due to the media-rich books that students could make about their learning.  It was only when it came time to sharing this lovely books that posed a problem.  Books over 25MB cannot be emailed, and furthermore, if books could be emailed we encountered the issue of some families not having a device with iBooks in order to view the book.

There are a few work arounds teachers have tried with a little more success.  For starters, schools now have unlimited storage space in Drive, so books can be uploaded to Drive and links shared with home.  Devices with iBooks are more prevalent with families so that helps too.  Lastly, Book Creator has provided an 'export as video' option.  Although the deign of a 'book' and flipping of pages is lost, this option does provide a quick and easy way for students to share books without losing any audio.  Books can saved directly to the camera roll and then uploaded to their blogs through the Easy Blogger app.

Below is a quick slideshow on how to make a Book Creator and options for sharing it.

Sharing Tech Integration Ideas

15 KG-2 teachers delivered 5 minute Learning Bytes on an app and how they have integrated it into the curriculum.  The presenters then rotated around six times sharing their expertise with six different small groups of teachers.  It was wonderful to see the authentic ways teachers in the Lower Elementary are using iPads with their students.  It was a Monday afternoon faculty meeting well-spent! 

Front Row for Math Practice

Grade 1 classes are trying out the app Front Row for Common Core Aligned Math Practice on the ipad.  Check out this short video of a screencast from when a student was using Front Row.

Book Creator for Strengths and Goals

In Grade 1, students have been busy preparing for the Strengths and Goals Conferences.  With our 1:1 iPad program, this preparation looked a little different than it has in years past and teachers were extremely positive about the change.

Students used the app Book Creator to document their strengths and goals.  This process allowed students to make an ebook with their voice recorded directly on the page (noted by the speaker symbols seen in the images below).  Teachers commented on the benefits of our younger students having such a powerful voice in what they want to share with their parents on their conference day as well as how valuable it is to hear them state their strengths and goals in their very own words.  They also noticed that students' engagement in the reflection process increased as well.

Using Popplet to Show Prior Knowledge of a Topic

Students in Mrs. Kelly's class used what they already know about a topic to think about words that might be in a book on that topic (prior/background knowledge).  With the app Popplet, students were able to make a mind map/web of words they already knew about their just right book's topic.  This is one way grade 1 students get their minds ready to read a book!  Below is a blog post from one of her students.

Blogging with Grade 1 Students

Students in first grade have started student-run blogs in their classrooms.  They are so excited to have voice and choice with the learning they share with their families.  Teachers have set up a teacher-managed blog that all of their students will post to during this school year.  They have used the Labels gadget so students can use their names as the label and easily get to all of their posts and learning throughout the year.  The app of choice is Easy Blogger, which makes blogging EASY!

Camera and Photos Apps Discovery Lesson

Grade 1 students had an opportunity to explore these two apps, Camera and Photos, and discover various functions such as; focusing the ipad camera, toggling to the square format, cropping, and rotating images. As adults, we may take these functions for granted, but for our youngest learners, having to discover these functions instead of being told where to tap can be quite a challenging task.  

Lessons that are developed in this manner motivate children to be problem solvers and independent thinkers.  Students are encouraged to Try 3 B4 Me and then I can either give a clue or lead them to learn from another student who has already discovered how an app works or getting a specific function in an app to work.