About the ebook
The book will be the first in a series of low cost interactive e-books that teachers will be able to download in different formats and take round with them on iPads, e-readers or as PDF and ePub on their computer. These books will always be available for just-in-time learning support and for new teaching ideas.
The first book will deal with how to create and exploit web-based video both inside and outside the classroom.
- It will look at a range of areas from creating interactive online activities based around digital video, to how to structure video clips into online courses using various blended learning models, techniques and activities for engaging students with video, ideas for promoting language practice, how to get students producing video-based projects and much much more.
- There will be sections on how to find ready made video materials and how to exploit a range of web-based tools and mobile apps as well as example lesson plans, activities and teaching materials.
- It will also contain embedded video tutorials for each of the tools which will help to develop teachers’ digital teaching skills and show them how to handle the technology.
As I said, if this book is successful, it will be the first in a series of digital teaching manuals for the digital classroom. Other titles I'm planning include:
- Exploiting tablets and mobile phones in education
- Developing writing skills in the digital classroom
- Developing 21st century comprehension skills
- Creating and exploiting digital narrative
I've decided to start with the book on video because I believe this is one of the key benefits that increased access to broadband connectivity, web-based resources and high quality low cost video devices has to offer for the digital classroom. Video is also a medium that both teachers and students can enjoy and one which has enormous potential to support learning of any kind, but particularly language learning.
Project background
Back in September 2009 I wrote a short book called Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers.
I made the book available for free as a PDF for anyone who wanted to
download it. You can still see it and download it from Scribd at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/19576895/Web-20-Tools-for-Teachers or from Issuu at: http://issuu.com/nikpeachey/docs/web20-tools-for-teachers
Since then, the book has been read and downloaded well over 180,000 times by teachers from all over the world.
When
I wrote the book I intended to follow it up with a longer and more in
depth version complete with embedded video tutorials and more detailed
lesson suggestions, but as ever time got the better of me and however
many times I started the book, something more urgent would always come
up and the book would get shelved and then the materials I had written
would go out of date and I would have to start from scratch all over
again.
So now I've decided to see if there really is a market for more books like this and see if I can get the backing to create a digital book without the support of a publisher and make it the kind of book I think it should be. To do this well I need to
take time away from the usual business of doing the things I need to do
to pay the rent and just dedicate myself to the writing and technical
production of the book, so I'm asking the people who would benefit from a book like this to support this project and help me to make it a reality.
My background
I have a substantial range of work already published online if you would like to check the quality of my work.
Blended Learning
I produced a blended learning course for teachers on how to develop blended learning for Bell Educational Services which won the British Council's Innovations award for Excellence in Course Innovation in 2012.
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See: http://www.viddler.com/embed/259aa815
Tech Tool for Teachers
I wrote a series of articles for Macmillan's OneStopEnglish site on Tech Tools for Teachers. The each entry includes an introductory overview to an aspect of technology along with lesson suggestions as well as video screen cast tutorials.
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Daily English Activities
Between 2009 and 2010 I produced a series of more than 120 activities for my Daily English Activities blog. These activities were designed to exploit web-based resources and help learners to develop their English and digital literacy. This site was shortlisted for a British Council Innovations award in 2010.
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