This week we will be working in the Mac lab using iBooks Author to edit / format our DBQs for iTunes publication of a class DBQ collection. More info on iBooks Author here.
Peter will provide instruction in using iBooks Author. Students will use material from their DBQ Design project as the foundation for their contribution to one chapter of the class iBook. Peter will arrange for publication on iTunes with all student work credited. DBQ assignment here. At the end of the class, Peter will collect each student chapter and assemble into a full iBook for review in class next week.
Image credit: Carlisle School – Printing Shop (LOC)
Bain News Service,, publisher. [between ca. 1910 and ca. 1915]
Repository: Library of Congress Call Number: LC-B2- 2484-10
Note: Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was the flagship Indian boarding school in the United States from 1879 through 1918. Founded in 1879 by Captain Richard Henry Pratt under authority of the US federal government, Carlisle was the first federally funded off-reservation Indian boarding school. It was founded on the principle that Native Americans were the equals of European-Americans, and that Native American children immersed in mainstream Euro-American culture would learn skills to advance in society. More
I’m excited to wrap up our work on the iBooks. It’s definitely a format I enjoy working with, and I look forward to giving them a full test run in a couple weeks when we check out the iPads. I’ve been thinking recently about how creating an iBook in the classroom gives students the opportunity to take ownership of their work. The prospect of an audience always inspires an extra amount of effort, no matter the project.
Add to that no publication costs and distribution to a global audience for the student’s work. Give authentic audience and purpose to their writings.
~ Downside – you need a newer Mac for design and at least a few iPads for students to see their work.
~ But if your school has that capacity – no downside.
I spent most of last class working on a new DBQ that is better suited for the IBook. I am now focusing on the Vietnam War, and how the attitudes in the USA were reflected in the music of the 1960s. I have chosen a variety of songs and primary sources to reflect the growing antiwar sentiments.
While I did not get to work with the IBook program at all, I enjoyed watching my classmates working with it and beginning to develop their DBQ iBooks. It seemed to take most People about 30 minutes to become semi proficient, and I am excited to begin working with it myself. My new DBQ should be much more compatible for the IBook format with music, videos, and documents.
I’m excited to have the iBook work complete from the content end of things. The final product will be fun to play with. I’m excited to flip through it on the iPad and investigate the iPad’s book-reading format. The iBook making process is something that I definitely see myself using in the future. As classrooms figure out how to effectively integrate technology into lessons, I see this as a viable avenue for me and my teaching style.
I’m really happy to be done with the iBooks – it was a great learning experience, but I am NOT a mac person. Thank god I had a mac person for a partner…I’m also excited to see everyone else’s iBooks, to see how everyone’s fits together. Even though I didn’t really like the iBook maker program thing, I definitely would use this in a class of technology-savvy students – they would probably get a kick out of making their own books. Overall, great learning experience and great way to integrate technology in a classroom.
Working with iBook tonight was a great experience! iBooks is actually fairly simple and intuitive. After just a bit of instruction we were on our way. Now that our chapter in the iBook is finished I am excited to see how the whole iBook looks together. It is exciting to think students will be using our work.
Working on the iBooks was a great experience. It’s actually much easier to work than I previously thought it would be. I thought of a good idea for a DBQ at the end of class to day and I want to make it an iBook during winter break now.
This project gave us a nice taste of what this platform is capable of. Like everyone else, I can see myself using it in the future, for myself and for my students. It will be interesting to see whether or not the public will actually use this, and if they do, whether they find it useful.
I really enjoyed working on the iBook. It was a very fulfilling experience and I cannot wait until I can show my friends and family my section of the work. Looking back on it now, if my classroom had the resources I think this would make a fine project or lesson as the program itself is easy to use.