Tag: Accessibility

Enhanced Book Review Exploring Countries Canada

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What makes a good enhanced book?
An enhanced book is a piece of digital literature that includes multimodal features above and beyond those included in a simple E-Book (Sadokierski, 2013). Enhanced books include adaptability features, access and content that supports curriculum expectations are important criteria for enhanced books. Adaptability features such as audio, video, animations, hyperlinked or clickable words support the readers decoding and comprehension of unknown words (Lamb, 2011). A good enhanced book will highlight text to tag words while the text is being read aloud allowing readers to follow along. Important features of enhanced books include annotating, digital bookmarks and ability to search the text for keywords or phrases (James & De Kock, 2013). Enhanced books that are available at no monetary cost provides open-source access to digital literature. A good enhanced book that is accessible using various technology devices (Sadokierski, 2013).

What purpose do Enhanced books serve?
Enhanced books support all readers but are significantly valuable to struggling readers, early readers, English as a second language learner (ESL) and those living with an exceptionality. Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) is providing each student with what they need to learn by creating equitable access to learning (Ministry of Education, 2013). The adaptability features beyond what E-Books offer additional support and meet the needs of many more learners (Walsh, 2013). Readers who have difficulty decoding words will benefit from the highlight and tagging feature that corresponds with the audio of enhanced books (Leu, Forzani, Timbrell et al., 2015). ESL students will appreciate the built-in dictionary, whereby they can click on a word and have the word and definition read to aloud. For those living with visual impairments, the read to me feature is used to engage these learners with the text (Jabr, 2013).

Ensuring that students have access to enhanced books with no monetary cost both at school and at home supports the school and home connection. Enhanced digital literacy resources used by educators can deliver curriculum content effectively. This form of digital literature is engaging for young readers, meets the needs of kinesthetic learners and includes supports to develop early readers read independently (Walsh, 2013).

Analysis of the Enhanced Book Exploring Countries Canada
Content
Exploring Countries Canada is a book in a non-fiction series that provides information about different countries. The enhanced book about Canada reviews topics such as the landscape, daily life, work, school, transportation and food. The enhanced E-Book has an index, glossary and vibrant photographs. The enhanced book includes bolded text, titles, subtitles, fun facts in captions and clear page numbers. The book is ideal for primary and junior students to support research about the country Canada.

The content of the enhanced book meets Ontario Curriculum language, science and social studies expectations. Educators have the option of creating quizzes for students after they have read the book. Teachers may use this to check for understanding the content and comprehension. As students engage with enhanced books they develop more literacy skills such as navigating, searching, marking the book as a favourite and keeping a digital reading log.

Features and Adaptability
The multimodal features of the enhanced book support all learners’ access to the content (James & De Kock, 2013). The animation and audio features will engage readers and manual navigation provides opportunities for kinesthetic engagement with a personal tablet. The enhanced book has a read-to-me option that highlights the words as the text is read aloud as an audio feature. The highlight feature can be toggled on or off depending on the purpose of instruction or student need. These features expand the use and interaction with the book. Students can gain independence as the adaptability features provide various levels of support depending on the students need.

While using the read to me audio feature the pages are turned automatically and contain animation making it appear so though the page is being turned. The animation will engage students and creates a reading experience similar to reading a traditional print book. Students manually navigating the E-Book touch the screen to navigate to the next page, touching the screen supports kinesthetic learners. The reader has the ability to click on words throughout the text to have the word and definition read to them. The enhanced book also has the ability to go full screen and increase the size of the font three times. These features support students to focus on the reading and the content as their senses are activated with the various animations, sounds, and navigation options.

Access
The enhanced book Exploring Countries Canada has a barrier to accessibility, like sign up and login information is required to access the text. Epic is a library of digital literature that includes E-Books, enhanced and interactive books. Educators are able to create a classroom account at no cost and use the program to support instruction. Parent accounts can be created for a monetary cost or students school account information can be shared with parents to allow students to access digital literacy resources at home. The home account feature acts as a barrier to students accessing the variety of enhanced and interactive books available.

How to implement enhanced books into classroom instruction?
Text Features
The enhanced book Exploring Countries Canada can be used for instruction on text features. The enhanced book allows teachers to read the book with students using a large interactive whiteboard. Students can easily see the text and the teacher can instruct students about how different text features. Both educator’s and student’s exposure to multimodal digital literacy using enhanced books supports the expansion of literacy skills that are required for learning and participating in online environments (Leu, 2011). Features of print, illustrations as a primary source document and word solving can be modelled and discuss collaboratively during a whole group literacy lesson (Yokohama & Teale, 2014).

Purpose, Comprehension Strategies, Demonstrating Understanding
Teachers can also assign an enhanced book to students in the Epic classroom to expose students to non-fiction text. Early readers can use the read-to-me feature first, before attempting to read the book independently. Students can have an ongoing list of unknown words to review definitions using the features of the enhanced book. Classroom educators can check in with students by creating a quiz using that feature of the enhanced book.

Cross-Curricular Connections Science and Social Studies
The enhanced book can be used as a supporting resource to meet expectations in the Ontario curriculum for Grade 4 science and social studies. In Grade 4 Social Studies, students learn about People and Environments: Political and Physical Regions of Canada.  The enhanced book will allow all students to access information regarding the topic as the enhanced book includes many features that support accessibility. The Grade 4 Science curriculum includes the study of Understanding Life Systems Habitats and communities. The enhanced book will allow students to research in an interactive engaging way.

Conclusion
The enhanced book offers many features that will allow students of all ages and ability to access the content of the book and develop student’s digital literacy skills and fluency of reading in an online environment. The enhanced book offers expanded accessibility features, more so than an E-Book, that meet the needs of all learners. The criticism of this enhanced book is that students who do not have a classroom teacher or parent who is engaged in digital literature will miss the opportunity to expose students to the tools and features that are available. The Epic program is a great resource that has no monetary cost associated with classroom educators. The content of the enhanced book will support teachers deliver the Ontario Curriculum expectation effectively.

References

Jabr, F. (2013) The reading brain in the digital age: The science of paper versus screens. Scientific American, April 11. Retrieved from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/

James, R., & De Kock, L. (2013). The digital David and the Gutenberg oliath: the rise of the ‘enhanced’ e-book. English Academy Review, 30(1), pp. 107-123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10131752.2013.783394

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and leading with technology, 39(3), 12-17. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67371172&site=ehost-live

Leu, D.J, Forzani, E.,Timbrell, N., Maykel, C., (2015) Seeing the forest, not the trees: Essential technologies for literacy in the primary-grade and upper elementrary-grade classroom. Reading Teacher, 69(2) 139-145

Leu, D.J., McVerry, Gregory, J., O’Bryrne, Ian, W., Kiili, C., Zawilinksi, L., Everett-Cacopardo, H., Kennedy, C., Forzani, E., (2011). The new literacies of online reading comprehension: Expanding the literacy and learning curriculum. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(1)5-14. Doi: 10.1598/JAAL.55.1.1

Ministry of Education. (2013). Learning for All: A Guide for Effective Assessment and Instruction for all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Queens’ Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/learningforall2013.pdf

Sadokierski, Z. (2013, November 12). What is a book in the digital age? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/what-is-a-book-in-the-digital-age-19071

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment (Ch. 13). In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Marrickville, Australia: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6). Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/3886534/Picture_Books_and_the_Digital_World_Educators_ Making_Informed_Choices

E-Book Review Adventures of a Nepali Frog

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What makes a good digital E-Book?
An E-Book is a book or text that has been digitized from print form and can be read online using technology device (Lamb, 2011). A good E-Book is highly adaptable, can be quickly and easily accessed, shared and has no monetary cost (Cull, 2011). Adaptability features include the ability to search the text for keywords and phrases, use a digital bookmark, annotate, change the font size, background colour, or use fonts designed for people with dyslexia are options included in a good E-Book (Walsh, 2013). Good E-Books are open source and can be accessed easily, anyone can engage with them without monetary cost, subscription or membership. A good E-Book can be accessed using different technological devices such as a Chromebook, iPhone, tablet or laptop reduce barriers to access (Leu, 2011).

What purpose do E-Books serve?
E-Books have the ability to support an elementary educator’s instruction through differentiation and universal design by offering students multiple entry points, engaging students according to their interests and by offering a choice of content, process and environment. E-Books provide a student with a wide selection of literature to choose from and good E-Books, as defined above, increase accessibility to literature. Students who may have difficulty engaging with a traditional print text, may experience more success and learning with an E-Book due to features and adaptability.

E-Books can be projected on a large interactive whiteboard or monitor at the front of the classroom, students who are able to, will read independently, those who aren’t can participate in the shared reading of the text. Primary aged students actively engage with E-Books when it is a large screen format at the front of the class, more so than when a teacher reads a print book (Yokohama & Teale, 2014). Print books are static, annotations and highlighting are permanent. E-Books can be digitally annotated, annotations can be removed or hidden and saved for future reference. E-Books can also be read on an individual tablet allowing students to control their reading pace by manually navigating the page forward by tapping the page, clicking an arrow or sliding their finger across the screen. Kinesthetic learners will benefit from holding a tablet and the physical movement required to turn a page (Roskos, Burstein, Yi Shang & Gray, 2014).

Digital literature fosters student learning as it enables learning in a meaningful way. E-Books can be linked to online discussion forums or virtual learning environments (VLE), it is digital and assessable online with a universal resource locator (URL) link. Traditional print books do not facilitate discussion or collaboration. Students expand their audience and participation outside the walls of the classroom to dive deeper into the meaning and connections to self and world (James & De Kock, 2013). The nature of E-Books allows students broader access to literature beyond the physical school building.

Analysis of the E-Book Adventures of a Nepali Frog
Content
The E-Book is about a young frog’s adventures through Nepal as he leaves home and encounters and overcomes challenges. Some obstacles the young frog faces include discrimination, animals, traitorous landscapes and exhaustion. The content of the book provides Canadian readers with exposure to different ways of living and working. The story will support a broader perspective of place and people. Students can evaluate how the frog’s adventures may differ from experiences in their own lives. The content may spur questioning and further investigation and research. The names of people and places in the text are not English, the book contains a glossary of terms for students to reference while they read. The navigational functionality does not lend its self to quickly and easily flip back and forth from the main text to the glossary. Students may tire or get frustrated of using the glossary, negatively affecting student’s comprehension of the text.

 Adaptability Features
The E-Book is a simple digitized version of the print book, it is lacking features that are now available for E-Books and the adaptability of the E-Book limited (Lamb, 2011). There are not features to change to dyslexic friendly font, change the background or annotate the text. Readers are not able to place a bookmark on a page or look up definitions of words (Roskos, Burstein, Yi Shang & Gray, 2014). There is no option to have the digitized text read to the reader using Google Read and Write nor is it an embedded feature (James & De Kock, 2013). The book does not offer features of accessibility or equitable for readers with an exceptionality.

The E-Book would meet some basic needs of a kinesthetic learner (Roskos, Burstein, Yi Shang & Gray, 2014). Students reading on a table control navigation of the E-Book by clicking the page or a navigational arrow. There is no noise or animation that would create the feeling of turning a page in a print book. The static pages do not create an authentic book reading experience. The E-Book can be read in a single page view or a two-page view and the website has a zoom in or zoom out feature to increase or decrease the size on the font.

When projecting the E-Book on a large interactive whiteboard, educators are able to control the pace of reading to pause throughout the lesson to engage students in predictions (Guernsey, 2011). They can use software to annotate or highlight the book over top of the digital text during class discussions. Annotation and highlighting support students focus and critical thinking of the text.

Access
The eBook is open source, meaning anyone can access it. Teachers can post a link to the book and students can read with their parents at home to extend or reinforce the content of the text (Combes, 2016). There is no need for a subscription, membership or library loan and there is no cost associated with reading the E-Book. Each student in the classroom can access the book independently on their personal device, read with a partner or parent or participate in a shared classroom reading (Leu, Forzani, Timbrell, 2015).

How to implement digital text into classroom instruction?
Analyzing Text, Point of View, Responding to and Evaluating Text, Making Inferences
The E-Book is ideal for students in Grade 4 – 6, the intermediate division. The content of the E-Book lends itself to meet a number of reading expectations from the Ontario Language Curriculum. The book is written from the point of view of the frog. Class discussions about what the frog was thinking, where he will go next, why he travels to the places he goes will support student’s prediction of future events. Collaboration and sharing ideas will support students to make personal connections to the literature.

Cross-Curricular Connections to Science, Social Studies, Art and Mathematics
Real-world authentic cross-curriculum connections to geography, social students, science, arts and mathematics can be used with the E-Book as a mentor text. Students can consider an alternative point of view throughout the book, create a map where the frog travels, consider different modes of transportation, illustrate landscapes described, construct a vehicle for the Nepali Frog, review slops and trajectories in a mathematical context.

Conclusion
The primary benefit of this E-Book is access. The E-Book does not offer features or adaptability options that extend the book in ways that will benefit the reader. Teachers can use this E-Book for a novel study and not be concerned about having enough book copies for students. The open-source URL link allows for multiple user’s access simultaneously. The limited features of the E-Book do not increase accessibility to the text. Students do have the ability to read the book at home or school with a device that is connected to the internet; they must remember where they left off as the book does not have a digital bookmark.

References

Combes, B. (2016). Digital literacy: A new flavour of literacy or something different? Synergy, 14(1), Retrieved from https://www.slav.vic.edu.au/synergy/volume-14-number-1-2016/reflections-and-actions/611-digital-literacy-a-new-flavour-of-literacy-or-something-different.html

Cull, B. W. (2011). Reading revolutions: online digital text and implications for reading in academe. First Monday, 16(6). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3340/2985

Guernsey, L. (2011, June 7). Are ebooks any good? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2011/06/books-media/ebooks/are-ebooks-any-good/#_

James, R., & De Kock, L. (2013). The digital David and the Gutenberg oliath: the rise of the ‘enhanced’ e-book. English Academy Review, 30(1), pp. 107-123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10131752.2013.783394

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and leading with technology, 39(3), 12-17. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67371172&site=ehost-live

Leu, D.J, Forzani, E.,Timbrell, N., Maykel, C., (2015) Seeing the forest, not the trees: Essential technologies for literacy in the primary-grade and upper elementrary-grade classroom. Reading Teacher, 69(2) 139-145

Leu, D.J., McVerry, Gregory, J., O’Bryrne, Ian, W., Kiili, C., Zawilinksi, L., Everett-Cacopardo, H., Kennedy, C., Forzani, E., (2011). The new literacies of online reading comprehension: Expanding the literacy and learning curriculum. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(1)5-14. Doi: 10.1598/JAAL.55.1.1

Roskos, K., Burstein, K., Shang, Y., & Gray, E. (2014). Young children’s engagement with e-books at school: Does device matter? SAGE Open, 4(1)DOI: 10.1177/2158244013517244, Retrieved from http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/4/1/2158244013517244

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment (Ch. 13). In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Marrickville, Australia: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6). Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/3886534/Picture_Books_and_the_Digital_World_Educators_ Making_Informed_Choices