As an educator constantly on the lookout for innovative tools to empower my students and enrich the classroom environment, I’m always excited to share my discoveries. Today, I’m revisiting this excellent platform that have been around for years now, Book Creator. Teachers and students have benefited from Its simplicity and versatility to create various forms of educational content content.
What is Book Creator?
Book Creator is a user-friendly platform that makes content creation in the classroom an absolute breeze. It enables users to express their ideas and knowledge in a variety of formats, creating a vibrant, interactive learning experience. From taking on the role of an author to that of a graphic designer or even a comic book creator, students are given the creative freedom to represent their understanding in a way that best suits them.
Here are some stand-out Book Creator features
Book Creator offers access to a treasure trove of features that make content creation both simple and enjoyable. With over 50 hand-picked fonts, the ability to add images, videos, or even voice recordings, and a plethora of shapes, icons, emojis, and more, there’s no limit to what students can create.
The platform offers multiple book layouts and real-time collaboration, encouraging teamwork and fostering a sense of community in the learning process.
Another cool feature of Book Creator is the integration of Google AI’s AutoDraw. It’s a fantastic tool that helps students sketch ideas quickly, even if they’re not the best artists. By predicting and suggesting professionally drawn shapes, it adds a fun and magical element to the creative process.
Book Creator also empowers student voice and choice, allowing them channel their thoughts through various expressive mediums including Google Maps, YouTube videos, PDFs, spreadsheets, and more. With an array of templates and comic stickers, students can spark their creativity, plan their work effectively, and have fun while learning.
Accessibility Features
Accessibility is at the core of Book Creator’s design. Features such as right-to-left text, speech to text typing, and voice search for images make it an inclusive tool suitable for all students.
Book Creator even includes an ‘Open Dyslexic’ font option and a ‘read to me’ function with word highlighting. Additionally, to ensure all learners can access and enjoy the creative process, the platform allows users to add alt text descriptions to images and generate transcripts for audio.
Using Book Creator With Students
Implementing Book Creator in your classroom is a simple and straightforward process. As a teacher, you can create your first library and share an invite code with your students. Book Creator allows up to 40 books for free, making it an accessible tool for classrooms of all sizes.
Students can start by choosing from a variety of pre-designed templates linked to academic themes or create their own layout. Encourage them to explore the features, embed different types of content, and experiment with the AutoDraw tool. You can even set collaborative tasks, allowing students to work together on a book in real-time.
Book Creator can be used across the curriculum. Whether it’s documenting a science experiment in a comic strip format, writing a narrative in English, or creating a multimedia presentation in History, the possibilities are truly endless.
Difference between Book Creator for iPad and Book Creator Online
Both Book Creator for iPad and Book Creator Online have their unique strengths, and understanding the differences between them will enable you to choose the best fit for your classroom.
Book Creator for iPad
Launched in 2011, Book Creator for iPad is a downloadable app that you can access entirely offline, although it does have some online features. It’s a self-contained app where students don’t need to sign into, and they cannot access the teacher libraries created with the online version. One key difference is that Book Creator for iPad doesn’t feature libraries in the same way the online app does.
The cost for Book Creator for iPad is a one-time fee of €3.99 per device, allowing unlimited book creation. If you’re considering using Book Creator for personal use at home, the iPad app is the version to go for. However, it’s important to note that the online version is also compatible with Safari and Chrome on an iPad, offering more features and flexibility.
Book Creator Online
Book Creator Online was introduced in 2017 and is compatible with Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge browsers. Teachers need to create an account and invite students to join their library to create books. With a free account, teachers get one library that can store up to 40 books.
Differences
Accessing Books: With Book Creator for iPad, students create books stored locally on their iPad, meaning the books won’t be available on other devices unless manually transferred. In contrast, books made in Book Creator Online are accessible on any device signed into, offering a more flexible and accessible learning experience.
Pricing: The pricing for the two versions is separate. Purchasing the iPad app doesn’t grant you access to a paid subscription for the online version and vice versa.
Features: Both versions offer a majority of the same creative features. However, some functions like built-in Image Search and the fill tool for drawing are only available in the online app, as they require an internet connection.
Also, while you can publish entire libraries online, the iPad app only allows the publishing of single books (up to 10 maximum). A unique feature of the iPad app is the ability to export your book as a video, a feature not available in the online version.
Bottom Line
Book Creator is an exceptional tool that combines simplicity, versatility, and inclusivity, making it an ideal addition to the modern classroom. It places creative power in the hands of the students, enabling them to express their learning in a manner that truly reflects their unique thought process.
