eBooks Reflections

Reflection Questions (to be answered in your own blog post at the end of the unit):

• What did you like most about designing an eBook?
  What I liked best about designing an eBook was the ability to add not only pictures and videos and words like I can in a blog, but I was also able to add widgets like an interactive image widget, gallery, or a pop-over. I also liked the look of an eBook, because on an iPad, it opened just like a regular book. I could turn the pages in a way that is different than a blog post. I liked having a cover and a conclusion.
• What did you find most challenging?
  I found the planning to be most challenging because it was difficult to know what to put on each page. In a blog post, you can write and write and all of your pictures and words will appear on one long post. But I know that people like to have information organized in smaller chunks or pieces because it makes the writing easier to understand. In an eBook, you can organize your writing by chapters and headings. I had to think about what information would make the most sense for each chapter.
• Why would you write an eBook, rather than a blog post or other digital media?
  The great part about writing an eBook is that even though we can share them with each other, we know that if they’re well written there’s a possibility that they could be available on the iTunes bookstore.
• How could an eBook help you demonstrate your learning in another subject?
  When we wrote an eBook about a lab experiment, I learned more about how much detail it takes to create a fair test. I realized that you had to measure each chip as well as the temperature of the water. I know we did that in science class, but when I created an eBook, I had to explain this to my audience so they could understand what a fair test means. Adding the interactive image widget, showed me what each piece of equipment was used for and helped me describe each one for my audience. I also liked remembering our lab experiment by watching the video that we took and including that in the eBook.
• What advice would you recommend to others starting an eBook project?
  Be sure you have taken clear pictures that support your writing. If you are going to add a glossary, be sure that you know how to link each word to the text so that your reader can click on key words and know what they mean. If your book is landscape, be sure to disable the portrait orientation so that we can view the pictures on an iPad.

Category: IT       Tags: eBook, reflections