Thing 17 – eBook creation

I’ve been exploring the different eBooks options for a couple of months now. In previous years I’ve made nursery rhyme books with my first graders. Each child drew a picture to illustrate their rhyme and then I recorded them reading their rhyme and I guess you’d say I made an eBook. This year I did the project with Seesaw, which, while it was far more independent for the kids, didn’t quite give me the finished product I was looking for. Also missing from this year’s project was a printed version of the book. Previous print versions still get checked out from time to time, so I’m looking for a product that will facilitate both.

I tried StoryJumper and it has potential. I like that it integrates with Google Classroom for my older kids. My first graders would have trouble with the log in process, but I could log in all the devices ahead of time. There is a good selection of artwork to illustrate their nursery rhymes. This would eliminate the drawing portion of the project, but that’s an acceptable trade off. I also explored it as an option for my second grade insect research. The photographs available are phenomenal! I was getting really excited! I made my practice book, saved it, and checked out the sharing options. I was remembering these lovely words from the pricing page:

No cost required to use StoryJumper at school or home.

Create, share, and read StoryJumper books online for free.

Storyjumper.com/prices

Keyword here is “online.” Insert sad face. My kids may be digital natives, but they still like an actual physical book to hold. The pricing for the printable .pdf isn’t terrible, but I was disappointed to see that it wasn’t actually free. That’s on me. The pricing page is very clear if I would have continued reading.

I’ll probably stick with Google Slides for the insect project. The kids already know how to use it. I can project the slides on the TV’s in our school hallway, and then I can print them out to make the book.

Speaking of Google Slides, I spent a lot of time exploring the idea of using Slides to create a “Make Your Own Adventure” story. This is definitely something I want to do next year. I think this could be a really great way to assess student learning at the end of a unit. I worked with my fifth grade team this year as they studied the Incas, Mayans, and Aztecs, and writing a Choose your Own Adventure story would be much more interesting that a standard five paragraph essay. (It would also require more than five paragraphs of writing!)