F-6

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Book Creator – The MUST Have App

Resource: Book Creator
Written by Samantha Clark

What is Book Creator?
Book Creator is a digital app that allows users to design and create their own books. This resource can be used in variety of ways in a classroom setting across many year levels and learning areas.  Using the tools provided  students can create their own front cover and can add the amount of pages desired for the set task. Students can also create their own design features, for example, creating a front and back cover, adding pictures and changing the font and colours.  Book creator is open ended and allows for students individual creativity to shine through in the books they produce as text, videos and audio can be included. Students can create a range of book types including story books, spelling books, picture books, comic books amongst many others.

Why use Book Creator?

  • Easy to use
  • Easy to follow instructions
  • Books can be displayed to whole class on interactive whiteboard
  • Ability to be creative
  • Encourages a love for writing
  • Can be used over a variety of learning areas
  • Enhances ICT skills

Link to resource: http://bookcreator.com Available for download from iTunes (compatible with iPad).
Cost: $7.99

Strand: Digital Technologies, Design and Technologies

Content Descriptors:

Foundation – Year 2

  • Generate and record design ideas through describing, drawing, modelling and/or a sequence of written or spoken steps
  • Work independently, or with others when required, for solutions
  • Present data of any kind using a variety of digital tools (ACTDIP003)
  • Share and publish information with known people in an online environment, modelling strategies to stay safe online (ACTDIP006)
  • Explore design to meet needs or opportunities

Year 3 and 4

  • Develop and communicate ideas using labelled drawings and appropriate technical terms
  • Identify and choose the appropriate resources from a given set
  • Develop and communicate design ideas and decisions using annotated drawings and appropriate technical terms
  • Create and communicate ideas and information safely (ACTDIP013)
  • Develop and communicate ideas using labelled drawings and appropriate technical terms

Year 5 & 6:

  • Develop and communicate alternative solutions, and follow design ideas, using annotated diagrams, storyboards and appropriate technical terms
  • Collect, store and present different types of data for a specific purpose using software (ACTDIP016)

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

  • Sustainability (no paper required)
  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • ICT
  • Critical and creative thinking

Links to other learning areas:
– English (spelling, writing)
– Mathematics
– Humanties
– Science
– The Arts

How this resource can be included in a classroom setting:
This resource links to many learning areas as the content is adaptable. This app offers students the opportunity to use digital technologies to create text, videos and audio about a particular topic.
For example students could create a small book in spelling in which they are required to create a sentence and draw a picture using at least one of their weekly spelling words per page (junior primary). Students could also create a book in mathematics based on a particular topic, for example, Area. Students can take photos of their work samples and attach it to their book in which they can then digitally share with their teacher/parents through a range of different apps including Edmodo.

Appraisals:
“From the child who writes a one page book about their favourite animal to a 32 page epic, this app has opened up the world of storytelling for them” (Cahill, 2013).

Reference List:

  • Apple. (2016). Book Creator for iPad. Retrieved January 10, 2017, from ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/book-creator-for-ipad/id442378070?mt=8
  • Cahill, C. (2013, December 18). Why I Use Book Creator in the Classroom. Retrieved January 10, 2017, from Book Creator: http://bookcreator.com/blog/2013/12/why-i-use-book-creator-in-the-classroom/
  • iOS Gaming World. (2016, May 6). Book Creator For iPad- iOS Trailor. Retrieved January 10, 2017, from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVvLxkomU6
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Storybird – Visual Storytelling For Everyone!

Storybird

Curriculum Strand: Digital Technology (process and production skills)

Curriculum Sub Strand: Generating and Designing

Curriculum Link: Work with others to create and organise ideas and information using information systems, and share these with known people in safe online environments (ACTDIP006)

Year Level: F-6

Link to Resource: http://storybird.com

Description: Storybird is a free, online tool that allows students to create and publish an imaginative text. Students are provided with the opportunity to create a text by using a range of quality images that are provided by children’s illustrators. The text creations can be shared for enjoyment or evaluated by teachers. Storybird also includes a variety of online books that cater to a range of reading levels.

Instructions:

  • Click on the ‘create’ tab

Step 1

  • Select the type of text you want to create (i.e. picture book, longform book or poetry)

Step2

  • Choose an image from the options provided
  • If you choose to create a picture book you will see the following

Step 3

  • Storybird allows you to add texts, pictures and sounds to create an imaginative story. You are also able to design an original cover page for the text using a variety of features.
  • Once complete you can save, publish, download or print the text.

Cross Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities: Storybird can be incorporated across all three cross curricular priorities and support all seven general capabilities.

Cross Curricular Priorities

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
  • Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
  • Sustainability.

General Capabilities

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and communication technology (ICT) capability
  • Critical and creative thinking
  •  Personal and social capability
  •  Ethical understanding
  •  Intercultural understanding

Links to other learning areas:

Storybird is primarily a resource that supports the English learning area. Students are able to create and write texts that can be used as a diagnostic, formative or summative assessment. Students are also able to develop their reading skills by exploring a variety of online texts. However, this resource provides illustrations that could be incorporated across other learning areas such as geography, history, the arts and health and physical education.

A classroom activity using this resource:

An English requirement within the junior primary years is for students to identify how illustrations can support the meaning of written texts. Storybird can be a useful resource that can allow teachers to engage students in a discussion about text conventions and model the creative process. Once the students have the understanding they can then create a text themselves.

Reference

Storybird. (n.d.). Write, Read, Discover, Share. Retrieved from http://storybird.com

Australian  Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016). Technology. Retrieved from http://v7-5.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/digital-technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1

Pic Collage
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Pic Collage

Subject: Digital Technologies

 

Year Level: F- 6

 

Strand: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

 

Sub-strand: Using digital systems

 

Link: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/pic-collage-photo-collage/id448639966?mt=8

(Link from the app store)

 

Cross Curriculum:

Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia

Sustainability

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

 

Links to other areas:

English

Science

Maths

Humanities and Social Sciences

The Arts

Health and Physical Education

 

How do you use it?

To use Pic Collage, it takes 4 easy steps.

  1. Open the application and choose a layout/template
  2. Add photo/s
  3. Customize the collage- this includes adding text, editing the photo, rotating, zooming in and out, apply shadow, adjust photo order and more.
  4. Export the photo

 

Classroom activity implemented into the classroom:

Project Ideas

  • Posters for non-readers.
  • Use camera. Create visual class rules.
  • Demonstrate what sharing is, cleaning up, etc…
  • Step by step instructions.
  • Document science experiments.
  • Document school celebrations / activities.
  • Shape hunt / number hunt.
  • Sequence a story / Resequence a story.
  • Intro the class to Verbs. They will act out the verb. Partner takes a pic
  • Can also use video in posters.

-Have students make class posters, inspirational messages, etc..

-Saves to Camera Roll.

Saves as a JPEG so you can create a slideshow of all their projects.

 

This application can simplified or extended, depending on the year level that you have. Students of all ages are able to use this application and explore the numerous edits you can perform. For example, in pre-primary you can demonstrate how to add in a picture and then add a simple sentence (obviously would need a lot of time, patience and extra hands) and then in year 6, you can ask the students to show various forms of states of matter and how they can change over time.

Vegetable Garden
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Vegetable Garden

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Image courtesy of Vegetable Gardening Online

Resource Name:

  • Vegetable Garden Online

Link to resource:

Year Level:

  • Foundation – Year 6

Strand: Design and Technologies

Sub-strands:

  •  Knowledge and understanding
  • Processes and Production skills

Year:

  • Foundation – Year 2

Content Descriptor:

  • Explore how plants and animals are grown for food, clothing and shelter and how food is selected and prepared for healthy eating

Elaborations

  • exploring which plants and animals can provide food or materials for clothing and shelter and what basic needs those plants and animals have
  • identifying products that can be designed and produced from plants and animals, for example food products, paper and wood products, fabrics and yarns, and fertilisers
  • considering the suitability of a range of tools when cultivating gardens, mulching and building garden structures and preparing and cooking food from recipes
  • identifying and categorising a wide range of foods, including Aboriginal bush foods, into food groups and describing tools and equipment needed to prepare these for healthy eating
  • exploring how people from different cultures including those of Asia design and produce different cuisines based on the plants and animals in their region and available tools and equipment
  • exploring the tools, equipment and techniques used to prepare food safely and hygienically for healthy eating

Skills:

General Capabilities

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Sustainability
  • Numeracy

Year:

  • Year 3 – Year 4

Content Descriptor:

  • Investigate food and fibre production and food technologies used in modern and traditional societies

Elaborations

Skills:

General Capabilities:

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Sustainability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • Information and communication technology
  • Numeracy

Year: Year 5 – Year 6

Content Descriptor:

  • Investigate how people in design andtechnologies occupations address competing considerations, including sustainability in the design of products, services and environments for current and future use(ACTDEK019)
  • Investigate how and why food andfibre are produced in managed environments (ACTDEK021)

Elaborations

  • reflecting on the features of designed solutions that ensure safety and wellbeing of users, for example smoke alarms
  • evaluating the sustainability implications of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment, for example materials can be recycled or re-used to reduce waste; systems may benefit some, but disadvantage others
  • considering the impact designed products, services or environments have in relation to sustainability and also on local, regional and global communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and countries in the Asia region
  • reflecting on the importance of aesthetics, function and sustainability in product design, for example a textile product that gives protection and is appealing; a motor that moves a vehicle and uses a sustainable power source
  • identifying the components of a service or system that contribute to its success and assessing potential risk or failure, for example, communication in the school or communication of a message to a wide audience; a system that manages an aspect of the environment; a campaign such as Clean Up Australia Day in different communities
  • identifying the impact of the designed features of an environment , for example a modification to a home to reduce environmental impact; restoring a natural environment and retaining access for the public

Skills:

General Capabilities

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Sustainability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • Information and communication technology
  • Numeracy

Links to other learning areas:

  • English
  • Maths
  • Science

About this resource:

  • This resource has information, advice, activities, videos and programs to help prepare, teach and support learning about vegetables, growing cycles, gardening, materials, seasons, climate and other relevant information to ensure success with creating, planning, growing and harvesting a vegetable patch.

Written by CaitlynB