I’m sure many of you saw Apple’s amazing new digital textbook presentation last month. If not, have a look now, this will change how you teach!
So the question is ….
What would your ideal (digital) English textbook look like?
If you think about a regular English textbook they often start with the vocab. But just imagine if you could touch the pictures and they talked!
Then they often have skits or songs. Again, just imagine if you touched them and the song started playing! Cool, eh?
Maybe you’ll find quizzes or games in a traditional textbook. Now imagine those all interactive with sounds and music!
Plus other things like extra games, maybe mini lessons etc. etc….
Hang on ….. doesn’t this all sound familiar?
There’s no doubt that the iPad is the future. The instant on, battery life you can use even in power cuts, small size and an interface you don’t have to be literate to use make it very magical.
And of course the regular Genki English software (digital textbook?) works right now on all the Macs and PCs you have around school and at home. (Which also means you don’t need huge budgets or a laptop for each child, just one at the front! If the screen’s not big enough, just plug it into a flat screen TV. Of course if you do have use of a computer room, get the site license and every child can use the software at once – racing to do the games this way is great!)
It’s so exciting to have the future here today, but what would you change? What extras would you add (or take away) to make the (digital) textbook of the future even better for your students? Remember, the sky is the limit!
I’d love to hear your answers in the comments please!
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10:40 am
It`s possible to add a super heroe who could travel around the Solar system helping to organize them in order and to explain every thing in the outspace.
4:05 pm
I haven’t checked the link to the digital textbook.
I think it would be fantastic to have little stories / skits /cartoons/ gags related to 1 or more theme.
Otherwise, everything else is perfect…
8:37 pm
YES, please, Richard!!! You know how I’ve been waiting for this and I am so excited you are working on it!! I don’t even think you have to change that much. In the textbook, I would like the games to be longer and include all the vocab several times, so every kid gets several turns the first time around when it’s still new. Maybe even more games. And, very important to me, please make the songs so we can pause them at any specific moment and then continue them from that point on – kind of like with musical chairs.
An amazing feature woulld be a recording feature (sound AND picture) that we can forward to the parents by email! I can’t wait to get this, so I don’t have to carry both of my pads – one with Flash and the iPad!
Thank you for considering our ideas, Richard, as usual! I am so excited about this!
Sent from my iPad
8:55 pm
Oh, and one more suggestion: when teaching the vocab, I would prefer to have each image separate, as the kids get easily distracted and everyone is looking at a different picture. So first thing, just show one image (without the written word!) and maybe have it turn or give it eyes etc and definitely have it talk! That way everyone is focused on the same image and we can talk about it i.e. If we like it, what colour or shape it is, etc.
When through, one page with all of the talking interactive images would be great so kids can touch and listen and repeat. I.e. When touching a mouth, have it pretend to bite the kid’s finger. Or the nose to make a sound at each touch, etc. That would be hilarious and the kids won’t get enough of it.
10:40 pm
It would be awesome to have this at school!!!!But I’m sure in a few years we’re going to have everything on the computer! I also heard that there is apparently a pen that you can write on your ipad (or I don’t know where) and it can even record what is being said in the classroom/conference/ seminar! Can you believe it?? in the future they will be able to record what the teacher says and bring it home!!! Really cooollll !!! My son will be at school to benefit from all these stuff!
6:03 am
Hi!!!
In Spain schools have to be bilingual, so we are going to teach Social and natural Sciences in primary in English. I love genki english too much, I would like to have all the topics pupils have to learn in this subject as a digital texbook, but in the same way you create genki english. Richard, I think your method is the best. But now I’m looking for Social and natural Sciences in English and everything is boring if I compare with yours.
Thank you for everything.