Overview
Book Creator is one of the most popular apps being used in schools for one simple reason. It makes writing and building a book fun. The app for both iPad and Android tablets allows students to add text, images, video, music and narration to create books that are rich in media, interaction and that can be easily published to both Apple’s iBooks Store or Google Play Books.
Name: Book CreatorPricing: Free / $4.99
Compatibility: iPad / Android Tablet
Access: Email signup
Privacy: Customizable (privacy policy)
A Quick Look
In Practice
1. Digital journal or lab book
Because Book Creator has the ability to publish text, images, video, music and narration, the app is an excellent option for recording observations, experiences and information. Have your students record a journal of their holidays or a field trip where they can include their own photography and thoughts. Or, if you are conducting experiments in class have students create an interactive report, narrating their actions and showing real observations with video.
2. Literacy and creative skills
The first thing students will want to do once they have explored the app is begin writing stories. This is great, but make sure to give students direction and structure. One meaningful way of doing this is to have students create stories to share with younger students. This works especially well with the voice recording feature, so younger students can read the book and follow along with the narration.
3. Fan fiction
Another creative way to help give students direction in their writing is to set them on the path of fan fiction. This is a particularly effective approach as it gives students a focus as well as the motivation to write on a story or subject they are passionate about. It’s also a great way for students to take advantage of pre-made media such as images, audio and video that may be available online, allowing them to use and develop their digital search skills too.
4. Collaborative books
This neat idea from educators Sandy Sanderson and Susan Fawcus at Kingswood Elementary involves students working together to create a final published book. Collaboration could be done in a number of different ways, but in Sandy and Susan’s case, each student was given a letter of the alphabet to produce a page on. The pages were then emailed to the teacher who collated the work to produce the final collaborative copy.
5. App smashing
With so many creative apps at the fingertips of students it would be crazy to not harness this power in the creation of books. In fact using apps in collaboration is an essential digital skill to develop in any modern classroom. Have your students create digital art using an app like Paper, video using an app like Animoto or narration using an app like Voice Changer. Then bring it all together using Book Creator.
Links and Next Steps
- Why I use Book Creator in the classroom – Apple Distinguished Educator Cormac Cahill
- Made in Book Creator – Pinterest board of some of the 6.5 million books created to date
- Top 10 tips for using Book Creator – Harnessing Book Creator in the classroom effectively
- Publishing with Book Creator – Series of how-to videos by educator Donna Criswell
- Using the App Book Creator in the Classroom – Ideas for using Book Creator
- Book Creator iPad App in A PE Classroom – Video (7 min)
- Apps in the Classroom: Book Creator – More classroom ideas
- 4 compelling ideas for using Book Creator in the classroom
How have you used Book Creator in your class? Let us know your ideas in the comments.
Feature image adapted from image courtesy of Flickr, spykster.