I’d like to learn how to create eBooks. ePub sounds like its the best format to go with, as it is the beginning of an industry standard and is supported by Apple and its iPad.

The reason I love the iPad over other eBook readers, is that it supports basic HTML5 – which allows for the inclusion of multimedia. For a long time you have been able to create eBooks using programs like Sigil and Calibre. These are free OSS products which support the basic ePub standard. Apple’s Pages then had the ability to export documents with video embedded to create an ePub document which would support multimedia embedded. It meant though that Apple was using proprietary software to create a proprietary format, and hijack the epub format.

I don’t have a Mac any longer, and am back to Windows. I needed to find a product which would allow me to start creating eBooks with the primary aim the inclusion of multimedia of sound and vision. Here are the ones I found:

• Sigil - Great to create simple eBooks (think static almost ‘PDF’)
• Calibre - This also has more widely supported conversion options, as well as some fancy aspects of creating content from RSS feeds and automated content from websites. It also has a built in ‘library’ interface for your eBook management with a web-server to support the interface. For FOSS, its great to see such a full-featured commercial product.
• Adobe InDesign CS 5.5 – The really disappointing thing about it being CS 5.5 is the subtle changes from CS 5. I have purchased a site license for CS 5 for school – and not the maintenance option. In CS 5, you can export as an ePub, but doesnt support the HTML 5 embedding of multimedia. It packages the eBook for Adobe’s desktop reader – Digital Editions. The CS 5.5 update for InDesign however specifically includes an update to the export tool which allows the exporting of multimedia. There is no patch to support the upgrade to CS 5.5 from CS 5 – its a re-install, new version situation. Bummer!
• Jutoh - I may have found the holy grail of eBook creation. It is basically a desktop publishing client – albeit simple – but allows exporting of embedded multimedia files. It is platform independent (client for most OS’s). It cost’s money.

Some sites I have been reading to find out more information about ePub documents and creation:

• http://www.elizabethcastro.com/
• http://ereads.com/2011/06/dont-get-too-used-to-epub.html
• http://tomorrowsbook.com/20100409147/dev-tools/news/epub-creators-epub-sucks.html
• http://www.ghacks.net/2011/04/22/firefox-epub-reader-read-epub-ebooks-online/
• http://www.ghacks.net/2011/05/29/create-ebooks-in-epub-format-with-grabmybooks-for-firefox/

Over the past few parent groups I have facilitated on the rollout of 1:1 at our school, there has been much discussion about eBooks and where they sit in relation to students no longer bring text books. Parents concerns of weight and something additional to carry has resulted in product conversation and also got me thinking about our eBook conundrum.

Why a conundrum? There is a bit of a process of argy bargy occurring between consumers (teachers, schools and parents) and creators (publishers, authors). The discussion focusses on the production of eBooks. As consumers, we don’t want, nor can understand why we should pay the same price of a traditional/paper book for an ebook when there are no pages, no freight, only electrons. Infinitely reproducible.

The Publishers are both trying to ensure that a recurring revenue stream can occur (to actually stay in business) while at the same time, giving the consumer what they want. Creating ebooks is more expensive than a traditional book. A traditional textbook may require a few expert authors, a basic graphic artist and document production support. The development cycle of the book is influenced heavily by the content that the writers produce and the complexity of the diagrams that may be associated – and then being to typeset/develop the book before production.

A eBook is not just an electronic copy of a book. A simple PDF of a textbook can be interpreted as an eBook, but that’s like saying that A Current Affair is hard hitting journalism.

A good quality eBook redefines what a book is. Some examples:

• A Social Science textbook which may be looking at other cultures. In your eBook you may have an interactive, commented Google Map embedded, with the ability to listen to the sound of the local language or watch a short video of how busy and important the marketplace is to that village.
• A LOTE textbook which has both the English and alternate language sounds, the origins of the word and how the languages have deviated and interpreted the original Latin.
• A Maths textbook which allows a very short animation of a specific item’s measurements in relation to volume, or a tutorial on how to complete a formula (a la’ Kahn Academy)
• A English textbook which verbalises a range of poetry, to introduce the art of written poetry and how it is transformed with multimedia – like a cyberpoem or hypertext poetry.
• A Science textbook showing the changes of a substance when heat is applied, or the dissection of an animal.
• A HPE resource which shows a good examples of tossing a ball, techniques in a sport.

Now creating resources like this, are now obviously more expensive than simply writing content and developing images/diagrams to go with it. It now requires graphic artists, web developers to develop content to support the eBook, editors, producers and directors of the multimedia content, script writers (as well as the original authors of content), travel to the locations to gather these resources, and the list goes on.

And we as a consumer want to pay less, because there is nothing ‘tangible’ we receive.

Someone or something will have to give in this situation.

How do you develop a textbook that has annuities, or the ability to engage in repeat business. eBooks don’t get dog slobber, pages ripped, thrown across classrooms, left on buses, soaked next to last weeks lunch. They stay perfect everytime. They are portable, they are interactive, they are engaging – and in the case of a historical text – why would updating the book every 3-5 years need to happen?

These series of posts are designed to detail my thoughts and persuits of eBooks.

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Something happened to me this week. I was lucky enough to go with a crack team of fellow educators to visit some standout schools in Victoria.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/08/02/data-visualization-modern-approaches/

Falling further in love with my iPad. Trying not to.

OneNote / MobileNoter

I have always had a respectful affair with OneNote. It allows you to keep on top of massive amounts of information, but only if you are dedicated to using it. Its a great application with a tablet – but I never seem to have one available for use with it. I persevere. What has made me very interested in the product is the academic plugin, and the upcoming 1:1 agenda for schools – and how that fits into my school’s requirements.

I needed to be able to access my OneNote notebooks from my iPad – and I’ve been playing around with an application which might just do it. MobileNoter. It syncs the content of your selected notebooks via WiFi, and does a pretty good job. It also supports the recording/embedding of audio (think podcast you make for your students) and automatically transfers it to the right page and location – including notes you may have taken. Im going to play with it more. I just wish the iPad had a camera (or does it)

check out…

Camera for iPad

This fancy little product allows you to take a picture using your iPhone and beam it directly to your iPad. Where I see great value of it is during meetings where you may need to take a photo of minutes of a meeting, a photo of something being worked on for a project – or even just examples of student work. With the same application open on the iPad (99c US) – and the iPhone. You don’t need to actually pay for it twice and it works pretty well; supporting BlueTooth and WiFi.

I’ll keep playing.

Loving the iPad currently, but competitors are coming…

http://tek.io/bpj9VF

Found an excellent app today for the iphone.

AudioBoo - allows you to make an instant podcast (mp3) and publish it online. Even gives you auto RSS/iTunes feeds.

Yet to try it out in the classroom. My daught did the first one. My podcast URL here: http://audioboo.fm/users/30973/boos.atom

Free. Awesome. 3 minute timelimit on casts.

This is a work in progress from my end – but has had great feedback from my staff on using the ICT Essential Learnings.

The aim was to just present alternatives. Doing it one way? Consider another!

Using the ICT Essential Learnings - a practical approach

Our Director-General (Julie Grantham) released updated code of conduct for Education Queensland employees. Specifically of interest is conduct in relation to ICTs and how we use Social Networks with students.

In my official capacity at the school I am in, this is my understanding of these changes and I will be stating as such:

• Don’t use your personal mobile phone to communicate with a student (verbal/sms) unless approved by Principal or Supervisor. I would suggest if this is occurring, please email your HOD outlining which students/class you use this communication for and for what. Try to keep a copy of the message saved somewhere if you have that facility.

• Always use your school email address to communicate with students – and ensure they use their EQ/school one wherever possible to communicate with you. Some students like to use their personal email address as they rarely check their EQ one. Encourage them to check it, or show them how to forward on their EQ email to their private account to alert them that you have emailed them.

• If you are using video in your class, ensure that you document what context you are using for. Talk to your HOD to let them know if you are.

• If you have students on Facebook or MySpace – get rid of them! This isn’t demoting to limited profile, this is deleting them. My personal policy is no one who has been at school within the last 12 months. This is any school in Education Queensland.

• You have a responsibility to make sure your Facebook/Myspace personal profile is appropriately protected from students and others. If you don’t know how to change privacy settings, make sure you ask someone who does (or google it). This is for your own professional safety and good personal practice also.

This impacts on our ability to use Web2.0 applications slightly – however I notice they have omitted the use of Twitter – this is a good thing, as it may mean the department is considering the official use of excellent tools such as Twitter in the classroom.

How do you feel these changes to the code of conduct acknowledges the way educators work in 2009 and beyond?

The updated code of conduct can be found here

–snip from http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/codeofconduct/pdfs/code_of_conduct.pdf –

2.2.2 (b) Interactions with Students

• You must discourage and reject any advances of a sexual nature initiated by a student with whom you have a professional relationship, or where a prohibition on sexual conduct applies.Your interactions with students must be and be seen to be professional at all times; that is, you must not engage in behaviour that raises a reasonable suspicion that you have engaged in, or will engage in, sexual misconduct; or that the standards applying to the professional employee student relationship have or will be breached.

• You must not communicate with students using a personal mobile phone, either verbally or by text message unless prior approval has been given by your Principal or supervisor. You must discourage students from such communication with staff. Use of a departmental mobile phone must be for official purposes only.

• You must ensure that you do not communicate with students from a private or personal email address. School or institute policies which allow for communication with students via departmental email should be for official purposes only.

• You must not use personal cameras or mobile phones to photograph students unless prior approval has been given by your Principal or supervisor. The use of a personal or school mobile phone or camera to photograph students must be for official purposes only. Parental or custodial approval must be given for the publication of photographs of students.

• You must not use internet social networks such as Face Book, My Space or YouTube to contact or access present students enrolled in any school or institute.

• If you use internet social networks in your personal time you must ensure that the content is appropriate and private, and that you restrict access to specific people who are not students.

–end snip–

Thoughts?

Just when you thought you had enough twittering.

INQ have brought out their response to the social phenomenon – the INQ Mini