How iBooks Author Stacks Up to the Competition [CHART]

Top artists reveal how to find creative inspiration Guy Garvey, musician • For fear of making us sound like the Waltons, my band [Elbow] are a huge source of inspiration for me. They're my peers, my family; when they come up with something impressive, it inspires me to come up with something equally impressive. • Spending time in your own head is important. When I was a boy, I had to go to church every Sunday; the priest had an incomprehensible Irish accent, so I'd tune out for the whole hour, just spending time in my own thoughts. I still do that now; I'm often scribbling down fragments that later act like trigger-points for lyrics. • A blank canvas can be very intimidating, so set yourself limitations. • Just start scribbling. • The best songs often take two disparate ideas and make them fit together. • Don't be scared of failure. • If it's all getting too intense, remember it's only a song. • The best advice I've ever had came about 20 years ago from Mano McLaughlin, one of Britain's best songwriters. Polly Stenham, playwright • Ugliness.

New atlas app invites children to take the world for a spin The Barefoot World Atlas app launched this weekend, inviting children everywhere to take the world for a spin (provided they have access to an iPad, that is). The result of a collaboration between Barefoot Books and app maker Touch Press, the interactive atlas has been specially designed to take full advantage of the new iPad‘s high-resolution Retina display. As with Google Earth, the Barefoot globe can also be spun with a simple swipe, allowing children to go on journeys to far flung places. Illustrator David Dean designed the colorful atlas, adding lots of 3D images and animations in the process. “We’ve created a magical globe that children are invited to explore,” said BBC TV presenter and geographer Nick Crane, who provides audio narration for the app. He continues, “You can use the pinch zoom gesture to fly down to the surface. Buttons at the top left of the screen give the user quick access to regions, countries, features and favorites.

iBooks Author hands-on: making textbooks in the 21st century Alright, I just fired up iBooks Author, which is a free download from the Mac App Store. It installed quickly, and after selecting a template I was editing my first-textbook in moments. The single-window interface is just like any other modern iWorks app, and Apple isn't offering it for free for lack of features. Like Josh mentioned in the liveblog, the app is a mix of Keynote and Pages, with drag and drop layout tools and a sidebar of "slides" representing the table of contents. Of course, the app isn't exactly designed for your mom to publish a interactive textbook of her vacation: while some aspects are a breeze, there's no WYSIWYG to build 3D objects from scratch or code HTML5 elements, you'll have to do that externally. Also worth noting: nothing in this tool makes you automatically an expert on any educational topic. iBooks Author hands-on Previous Next View full Gallery Related Items textbooks apple iwork textbook ibooks ibooks 2 ibooks author ibook

How we read online. You're probably going to read this. It's a short paragraph at the top of the page. It's surrounded by white space. To really get your attention, I should write like this: Bulleted listOccasional use of bold to prevent skimmingShort sentence fragmentsExplanatory subheadsNo punsDid I mention lists? What Is This Article About? It's a Jungle Out ThereThat's Jakob Nielsen's theory. Nielsen champions the idea of information foraging. Sorry about the long paragraph. Also, I'm probably forcing you to scroll at this point. Screens vs. When you look at early research, it's fascinating to see that even in the days of green phosphorus monitors, studies found that there wasn't a huge difference in speed and comprehension between reading on-screen and reading on paper. The studies are not definitive, however, given all the factors that can affect online reading, such as scrolling, font size, user expertise, etc. And it's not you who has to change. Nielsen often sounds like a cross between E.B. [Ed.

Publishers Hustle to Make E-Books More Immersive | Underwire It was bound to happen. The record industry was forced to adapt when iTunes came along. Reluctant film studios made the jump to Netflix and other streaming services. And now, with tablets selling at mind-boggling rates, book publishers are scrambling to figure out how to bring their ancient medium into the digital realm. All the usual fears about moving into the 21st century spook the book companies, just as they did when younger industries made the leap. “The conversation a year ago was, ‘Oh my god you’re going to kill my book sales’ and ‘You can’t release e-books simultaneously’ and ‘Don’t do an app, no one will buy my book if the app is $2.99!’” “The comfort zone is increasing. Now book publishers know they must evolve: 21 percent of Americans say they’ve read an e-book, according to a Pew Internet study released last week, and the Association of American Publishers says 114 million e-books were sold in 2010 (the most recent year for which numbers are available).

Education - iBooks Author Gallery CALLIHOO Writing Helps--Feelings Table Character Feelings You can describe your character's feelings in more exact terms than just "happy" or "sad." Check these lists for the exact nuance to describe your character's intensity of feelings. SF Characters | SF Items | SF Descriptors | SF Places | SF EventsSF Jobs/Occupations | Random Emotions | Emotions List | Intensity of Feelings 5 Things to Consider Before Self-Publishing Your Book Each platform offers different services and a variety of pricing options, so you should check out each site to see which matches your budget and tastes. 2. Additional Expenses In addition to each platform's base costs (if applicable), you'll need to prepare yourself for other expenses. Want help with editing, design, marketing and other services to get your book in tip-top shape? 3. You'll need to figure out what your ideal distribution channel is, which essentially means how you want your book to be distributed and where. CreateSpace calls it "expanded distribution," and Lulu calls it "globalREACH distribution." 4. Marketing your book is closely tied to distribution. If you don't want to work with a marketing professional or firm, you'll have to create a detailed plan for garnering publicity. It doesn't hurt to draw up a press release and target magazines or other publications that might be interested in hearing about your book. 5. Check to see what your platform's commission is.

Reading Like A Historian The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features sets of primary documents designed for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions by employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading. How do I use these lessons in my classroom? The 91 lessons in the U.S. curriculum, 41 lessons of the world curriculum, and the 5 lessons in the introduction to historical thinking unit can be taught in succession. 1) Establish relevant background knowledge and pose the central historical question. *Note: United Streaming requires a subscription to Discovery Education. 2) Students read documents, answer guiding questions or complete a graphic organizer. 3) Whole-class discussion about a central historical question. Of course!