An eBook – or electronic book – is not just an equivalent to its conventional counterpart. As well as telling a story through pictures and words, eBooks create a more interactive world for the viewer. This is possible through the use of hyperlinks and multimedia; pictures, sounds, animations and further links open up a whole new world to readers. This was evident in Alex, Clare, Kate and Gemma’s presentation on eBooks, where I was able to participate and create an alternate ending to their Little Red Riding Hood eBook. What a fabulous idea to present students with! As we were shown during the tutorial in week six, it was quite easy to create an eBook.
In the classroom, eBooks could be utilised in a variety of KLAs as an alternative to presenting hard copy work.
I was looking online for eBooks and realised that within my StaffNET account, the Catholic Education Office of Parramatta has an Ebook Library available for teachers to use. There are thousands of ebooks available; some are free and others are available for purchase. Free ebooks can be downloaded for a certain amount of days.
Below is an ebook in PDF format which I found online. It’s all about saving our precious planet. Clicking on the cover below will take you straight to the ebook.
Personally, I find eBooks a nice introduction to using technology for younger students. ‘Clicking around’ is encouraged with eBooks, as there are alot of hidden features and links. Also, many students who may struggle with reading may not even view it as reading and more like a game as it’s on the computer, and unbeknowest to them, they are reading and engaging with text! The important thing with eBooks, however, is that when creating your own you must keep an eye on the continuity and fluidity of the story or it can easily become a mess!