AISWA Languages Teachers' Stories

Getting Creative with Resources for iPads

"Create high quality multimedia content for iPad? Who? Me?" Elisabeth Rosinel was doubtful but inspired and willing to try something new. Elisabeth used iBooks Author to create iPad resources for Year 9 students of French.

Christ Church Grammar School has introduced a one-to-one iPad programme for students and matched it with a professional learning and training programme for staff to develop their skills in technical use and pedagogical practices. The aim was to ensure effective use of technology while maintaining high academic standards. Central to the training was the idea that teaching and learning is still primarily teacher directed and that teachers need the tools and skills to keep up with technological advances.

Using iBooks Author (a FREE app) Elisabeth created a self-guided interactive resource of activities and vocabulary development to accompany the textbook, Le Nouveau Taxi used by her students.

Learn more about iBooks Author.

Elisabeth explains her GOALS and EXPECTATIONS for the iBook Le Nouveau Taxi, Activiés Complémentaires:

I wanted to make an iBook that was engaging. To do so, with the time I had, my focus was to:

cater for individual differences
improve student motivation towards course content
provide solid unit structure
enhance students’ personal bests

After being inspired by a colleague's presentation on iBooks Author, Elisabeth executed her carefully planned approach to the task:

November 2012 - I familiarised myself with iBooks Author software and developed the structure.
Christmas 2012 - I gathered content, pictures and audio files.
February 2013 - We discovered a software called BookWidgets which allowed us to create interactive activities within the iBook.
May 2013 - The first version was deployed to the students.

Watch the video below to hear Elisabeth's reflections on the usefulness of her iBook: the positives include improved motivation and engagement in learning, appreciation of additional learning support, improved vocabulary and better pronunciation. (Watch the video of student evaluations.)

In 2014, Elisabeth plans to launch version 2.0 with added hyperlinks for better navigation, more content and an award system.

AISWA Languages is grateful to Elisabeth Rosinel for providing this story, videos and inspiration and to Daniel Budd, eLearning Facilitator at Christ Church Grammar School for access to the video files.

Moya McLauchlan (Editor)

30 November, 2013