Teaching with e-books from Oxford Learner ’ s Bookshelf
Shaun Wilden , a freelance teacher trainer and expert in online tutoring , shares his advice for teachers new to using digital coursebooks in the classroom and offers practical guidance for getting the most from the Oxford Learners ’ Bookshelf .
Preparing the tablets
If you ’ re starting to teach with tablets for the first time , you may be wondering how best to get your students off to a good start . If your school is providing the tablets , make sure that the free Oxford Learner ’ s Bookshelf app has been downloaded . If students are bringing their own , they ’ ll need to do this .
Students need to register with Oxford , or log in with an existing account . This means that e-books are saved in the cloud and can then be accessed from anywhere .
Getting to know your digital coursebook
Tap on the cover of the book and it will open . If you compare it to the paper-based version you ’ ll notice the content is the same . Now you can relax as all those wonderful lesson plans and activities you prepared are still relevant .
So what are the differences ? Rather
than turn the page , a swipe changes it . Pinching can enlarge a picture or a text , something you can ’ t do with paper . Remember that , when you want students to look in more detail or for students with visual impairments that need a bigger script .
Remember listening and video is inbuilt . Play around , click on some of the icons and see what happens . Make sure you also know how to input text into exercises and operate all other tools . Now think about how you are going to show your students to do these things ? If you have a projector , do you know how to connect your tablet so that students can see your screen ?
How interactivity in e-books supports learning
Getting started , I project my iPad onto a bigger screen and pinch zoom the photos so that they fill the screen . Getting the students to look at the picture , I introduce the topic and we explore the ‘ big idea ’ together . Remember , you can also display inbuilt video to introduce a topic . Using the pen and note tool , I can write some of their answers on the page .
Once the students have the idea , I ask them to work in pairs and with one of their tablets to explore and discuss together .
Digital coursebooks have the ability for students to record themselves , more confident students can practice the pronunciation into the audio note . Students can listen to the audio , tap record and say the word after each one is said by the coursebook . They can then play it back to check their pronunciation .
For extension tasks I ask the class to complete one of the exercises at home using the self-marking tool . This can be e-mailed to me so I can check their understanding and monitor progress .
The benefits of using e-books are numerous , but most importantly it helps you meet the differing learning needs and ability levels of your students and provides an enhanced learning experience .
Don ’ t worry if you don ’ t have tablets , Oxford Learner ’ s Bookshelf e-books can also be used as a front-of-class presentation tool . Ask your local Oxford Education Consultant for more details .
Try out your free sample of Oxford International Primary Maths and Science e-books here
www . oxfordlearnersbookshelf . com
14 | Jan - Feb 2017 | | Class Time