Knowledge exists to be imparted.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
For a short time, I considered that it was highly possible I had lost my mind. I was going to teach my kids how to use Book Creator on a Friday. Not only that, they were going to teach another kindergarten class how to use it later in the day. Simmer down…my sanity is still intact. I worried needlessly. My iPad proficient five year olds created a 4 page book on Penguins in less than an hour. They illustrated their pictures in Doodle Buddy, saved them to the camera roll, imported them into Book Creator, typed their text and exported the book to their iBooks app in the morning. I demonstrated how to do this on the SmartBoard prior to their starting on their own.
In the afternoon, we hosted another kindergarten class to come learn from us. At one 
point, there were 50 kids in my classroom. They were in groups of 2 or 4, working together. By the end of our session, the other class had at least the book cover completed and some had their first page finished. My children loved, loved, loved teaching them. The engagement was instant. Their conversations were instructive, relevant, and meaningful. There were conversations about word choice and details in illustrations. We even discussed getting back together and sharing our finished books with each other.
My students, in the end, wanted to know if they could show another class how to create their own books. What a great way for all of my students to have an opportunity to be a leader. Even the quiet and reserved students, who may otherwise be reluctant to share in front of the group, took a leadership role in the small groups. While the finished products are going to look great, the process in getting there was priceless. Not to be forgotten, the science facts they acquired as they wrote about penguins, their life cycle, and their habitats. Combine that with the literacy aspect and the cooperative learning on the iPads, and I’d say today was a complete success.
Here is a screen shot of one of the book covers:
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iTeach with iPads 
Hi Kristi- I also teach kindergarten. The kids in my class have 1:1 iPads and We love it! I use Book Creator alot and like that it can be then sent to others and added to their book shelf. I wish I could connect the books to my blog so that they can be downloaded as iBooks so that The students recording of reading the book would not be lost. Any thoughts?
Heather
I haven’t found a way to save without losing voice capability. You might try to contact the developer. This is such a great app they might find a way to fix that. Thanks for commenting.
Hi! You must be reading my mind. Eager to try this. I teach k and my class is all boys. Showing them on the smart board is just what I need to do. How do I get the screen shots… On the smart board? Promise to let you know how it goes.
Sara
Sara,
I use a combination of 2 cables and my iPad connects directly to the SmartBoard. The first cable is a VGA cable. It connects into the control panel of the SmartBoard and the other cable is an adapter called a dongle. It connects the iPad to the VGA.. You can get them at Best Buy or Target. This allows me to project my iPad onto the SmartBoard. It projects only….you can’t interact with it on the SmartBoard but you can manipulate your iPad and demonstrate that way. It works great and the kids get to see you go step by step. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out!
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This is awesome. I want to read a book about penguins. 🙂
Me too Angie…and the best part is, my kids want to read MORE books about penguins. More is…well…MORE!
Loved this post! I am inspired! I work as a technology coordinator and just was given a set of 10 iPads to use with grades K-1. I pushed into one first grade class yesterday and did a demo using a scavenger hunt I had created. The children had to share iPads and I observed that taking turns was hard because they ALL wanted to use the iPad. One of the things I am trying to help teachers with is creating “centers” for iPad use. Thank you for taking the time to create this blog and share your strategies.
Donna,
It never ceases to amaze me what the kids are able to do with their iPads. 10 iPads is a great start. Thanks for stopping by!
I am a grade 2 teacher in British Columbia, Canada. We are currently using book creator to make a book about matter. The kids are loving it! They take what they have learned and rewrite it in their own words. Thanks for sharing your ideas about animals. That might be my next project!
Sarah,
That would be a great plan. Kids of all ages like animals and enjoy learning more about them. My kids ask everyday if they can make an animal book. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Thanks for stopping by!
Kristi
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Hello Kristi
I have just come across your blog and wanted to say how impressed I was with what you are doing in your classroom. The work flow you have describe here could be followed by any teacher with their class. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Greg…Work flow should be an important part of any classroom. The iPad makes it easy to do no matter what grade you teach!
Hi Kristi
I am a fellow ADE from NZ. I read your post about Book Creator (IMHO the very best of the epub development apps) and how you engaged our class. Wonderful ideas and i can just feel the buzz.
You mentioned cables to link your iPad – have you tried Reflector? Frees you from the front and lets you roam the class with your iPad plus lets you see a number of others in the classroom.
Innes
Innes
Thank you for your comment! At the time of that writing, Reflector wasn’t working in my district. It has since been opened up and we are using it. I love it!
I am so inspired by your blog! We have 1:1 ipads in Kindergarten as well in Northern Minnesota. I am looking forward to trying book creator with my Kinders. Thanks!
Rhea, thanks so much. You will love Book Creator and so will your students. it is such a versatile app for all grades. Thanks for stopping by!
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