Review by Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Education | Updated March 2016

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Book Creator

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Magically easy way to create and publish digital books and multimedia

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Rating Details

Teachers say (99 Reviews)

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Grades

3-8 This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.

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1 video | 4 images

Students can express their creativity through writing and designing their own books.

The many options are found in drop-down tabs, leaving the pages clean and open for creation.

Give your book an official title and author before sharing via several options.

Pros: Super-simple interface makes it easy to build pages, letting kids focus on creativity.

Cons: No stock images or clip art available within the app.

Bottom Line: Top-quality creation tool empowers kids of many ages to publish their own digital books.

Lesson & Activity Ideas

In the classroom, teachers or kids can create individual pages that become books. Before that first book, however, you will likely want to read the tutorial and try to create a sample page within the tutorial. Once they're familiar with the basic functions, it's time for kids and teachers to start creating: fiction or nonfiction books, how-to manuals with video and audio instructions, photo books, comic strips, and more. The in-app tutorial does not remind kids about basic components of a book (title, author byline, image-source credits), so using this app provides teachers with a good opportunity to give students a real-world lesson on those topics before kids publish.

Tool Overview

Book Creator for iPad is an amazingly easy-to-use digital book-making tool. With guidance, even kids in early elementary school grades can use this technology tool to produce and publish their own simple books or comics with images, videos, and audio. Readers can access published books via iBooks or other online sources, or books can be printed on paper.

Before kids create that first book, it's helpful to read the basic tutorial. Then tap the plus sign or New Book icon on the main screen and choose a book shape. Then tap the plus icon to add photos, videos, and typed words to the cover page, first page, and so on. Simply swipe to move content around the page and resize or rotate it as desired. Under the "i" tab, find many options for adjusting or deleting items. Every time you want to add something, just tap the plus sign again. When the book is done, tap on the toolbar's send icon. It can be opened in iBooks or any number of other apps such as Dropbox and Evernote. It can also be sent over email, saved to iTunes, or printed. Book Creator for iPad does what it does very well -- and without too many choices. In this way, kids are not distracted from the app's main purpose: meaningful multimedia content.

Learning Value

Book Creator for iPad empowers kids to use their imaginations for a fictional story or compile information on a nonfiction subject to create books. Plus, they'll use critical-thinking skills as they brainstorm and make decisions about their books. Once they start to create the pages, students can learn how multimedia elements help them tell their story or communicate information effectively. Students can practice their writing skills and enjoy crafting a digital book with multiple forms of expression.

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

The simple user interface helps engage kids in storytelling as they create ebooks and comic strips using their own photos, drawings, audio (including their own voices), video, and text. Even first-time users can create a book.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

This creation tool is versatile enough to be used in any content area, and students can extend their creativity by app-smashing and creating images with other apps to use in their books.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

A sample book doubles as the app's tutorial. Users can link to an extensive help and FAQ page on the developer's website via the app's "Support" tab and lesson plan ideas on the blog.

Common Sense Reviewer

Amanda Bindel Classroom teacher

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Teacher Reviews

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Featured review by
Erin D. , Technology coordinator

Technology coordinator

South Shore Regional School Board
Bridgewater, NS

Amazing way to assess creative collaborative student work, especially for language learning!

Book creator is a simple,yet effective tool that engages all learners. My only critique is that the fonts and background choices seem a bit "young" for older students, Gr 9 and up. I have taught students how to use an image as their background to make it a more advanced design.

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Language
L.3: Conventions of Standard English
L.3.2	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.4: Conventions of Standard English
L.4.2	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.5: Conventions of Standard English
L.5.2	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.6: Conventions of Standard English
L.6.2	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.7: Conventions of Standard English
L.7.2	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.8: Conventions of Standard English
L.8.2	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Writing
W.3: Production and Distribution of Writing
W.3.6	With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
Range of Writing
W.3.10	Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
W.4: Production and Distribution of Writing
W.4.6	With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
Range of Writing
W.4.10	Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
W.5: Production and Distribution of Writing
W.5.6	With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
Range of Writing
W.5.10	Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
W.6: Production and Distribution of Writing
W.6.6	Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
Range of Writing
W.6.10	Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and
W.7: Production and Distribution of Writing
W.7.6	Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
Range of Writing
W.7.10	Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
W.8: Range of Writing
W.8.10	Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Book Creator

Magically easy way to create and publish digital books and multimedia

Subjects and Skills: Book Creator

Take a look inside

Lesson & Activity Ideas

Tool Overview

Learning Value

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Key Standards Supported

Language

Writing

Teacher Reviews

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