Transcript for 1/29/12 #storyappchat: iBooks Author

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Very interesting chat tonight with lots of good opinions shared. We were lucky to have ePub expert @LizCastro stop by to weigh in on this topic–she’s written a recent blog post about iBooks Author, and had some opinions to share with us too. Here’s a sampling of the discussion:

@lizcastro: First important failing of iBooks Author are that it does not create ebooks in standard EPUB format.

@artsylliu: It’s really hard to find kids’ books in the store. It only features 41 PBs. Otherwise you have to search by name.

@PolkStreetPress: Me too! RT @brooks_jones: I wanted to dwnload the free Life on Earth iBook but it took so long I gave up!

@DavidBFox: You can’t gift an iBook at all, not even in the same country!

@DavidBFox: There are hundreds or thousands of PBs – just no way to list them (except a few dozen from the big publishers)

@lizcastro: I fault Apple for not following standards because they promised with iBooks launch that it supported EPUB

There’s much more in the transcript above, 22 pages of it! Check it out, and weigh in yourself in the comment section below, or using the #storyappchat hashtag during the week. Remember, we chat every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time–don’t miss it!

Topic for TONIGHT’s #storyappchat: iBooks Author

The January 19 announcement from Apple about iBooks2, iBooks Author and the future of educational publishing is a pretty big deal, no matter how you slice it. Apple intends to revolutionize textbooks and to make publishing and consuming educational materials easier for everyone.

But for those of us interested in creating electronic storybooks for kids, this represents both an opportunity and a challenge. An opportunity, since Apple has created a free tool (called iBooks Author) for creating interactive electronic books with obvious advantages for both the author and the reader. A challenge, since Apple’s licensing agreement for iBooks Author raises several troubling questions for content creators. One of the biggest issues surrounding the use of iBooks Author is the ability to sell the content elsewhere. The language in Apple’s terms of use for iBooks Author is pretty clear about the fact that materials created with the tool and later sold for a profit can only be sold in the iBookstore, but what isn’t clear is: can the content be repurposed using other tools, and then sold elsewhere?

Have you downloaded iBooks Author? Do you have other questions about the use of the tool, or about Apple’s aggressive move into the textbook arena? Come by tonight (1/29/12) at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and let’s discuss it! Just use the #storyappchat hashtag on Twitter, and chat away!

One more note: David Fox of Electric Eggplant is happy to announce that their new Middle School Confidential 2: Real Friends vs. the Other Kind app is now live in the App Store–and he will be giving away some promo codes for this and their other app, Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are. Don’t miss it!

Transcript for 1/22/12 #storyappchat: Melissa Northway

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Lively and interesting chat tonight with our special guest host @MelissaNorthway, writer of the Penelope the Purple Pirate storybook app. Lots of great conversation, comments and questions–see for yourself in the transcript above, and make plans to join us next week for an open discussion about iBooks2, iBooks Author and the pros and cons of this new model.

See you then (1/29/12) at 9:00 p.m. ET!

BTW, did you know we have a Facebook page now? Check it out, and feel free to visit often during the week and leave comments/questions/whatever, if you’ve got ‘em!

Guest Host for 1/22/12 #storyappchat: Melissa Northway!

We are so excited to share our special guest host for this Sunday’s (January 22) #storyappchat: Melissa Northway, author of Penelope the Purple Pirate!

Penelope the Purple Pirate is a delightful story about a little girl who turns her room into a swashbucklin’ pirate adventure. Northway came up with the story while creating bedtime stories for her daughter Kate:

My husband and I have to be pretty creative in coming up with new adventures each night. That is how Penelope the Purple Pirate came about. My husband was talking about “Red Beard” and his adventures with Kate. That night I wrote Penelope the Purple Pirate.

The Penelope story is now available both in print and in Kindle format, but it started as a storybook app from PicPocket Books.

In addition to answering your questions, Northway will be giving away promo codes for Penelope and more! Of course, you are welcome to check out the app ahead of time too. Bring your questions for Melissa, and we will see you this Sunday (January 22) at 9:00 p.m. EST!

Transcript for the January 15 #storyappchat

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For the first time, we had a team of eReading researchers join us last night for our weekly #storyappchat–and it was very illuminating! Led by @DiaperedKnights, our guest hosting team also included @jschugar, @carolsmith2006 and @chrispenny.

Check out the transcript above to soak up the benefits of the team’s research and knowledge–and remember to join us every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern!

Topic for 1/15/12 #storyappchat: Dr. Heather Schugar & Co.

We are pleased to welcome a panel of literacy experts for this Sunday’s (January 15, 2012) #storyappchat:

Dr. Heather Schugar, Dr. Jordan Schugar, Dr. Chris Penny, and Dr. Carol Smith are a team of researchers from West Chester University in West Chester, PA, USA who have spent the last two years exploring eReading on eReaders. Their research began with a series of studies examining college students’ comprehension of eTexts in English and Literacy courses, and more recently has begun to explore middle grade readers’ decoding, comprehension, and fluency when reading story apps vs. traditional print texts.

Dr. Heather Schugar (@diaperedknights) is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at WCU. Her research focuses on eReading comprehension and informational text comprehension for students in grades pre-K through 12. She has published numerous journal articles and contributed to several books on these topics.

Dr. Jordan Schugar (@jschugar) is an Adjunct Professor of English at WCU. His research focuses on eReading comprehension/study skills, as well as with metaphor in English classroom. He has published in academic journals on these topics.

Dr. Chris Penny (@chrispenny) is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Teacher, and Associate Professor of Secondary and Professional Education at WCU. He has actively researched and published in the areas of educational technology.

Dr. Carol Smith (@carolsmith2006) is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at WCU. She has an active research agenda in digital literacies and global learning via information communication technologies and has published numerous journal articles in these areas.

Please plan to join us and this distinguished panel THIS Sunday (1/15/12). The fun ramps up at 9:00 p.m. EST/6:00 p.m. PST!

Transcript for 1/8/12 #storyappchat: Lynley Stace

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Lynley Stace (co-creator of the new storybook app The Artifacts) was the guest host for the January 8 installment of our weekly #storyappchat–and it was a fantastic chat! If you missed it or just wanted to have an electronic copy of all that was said, please enjoy the transcript above with our compliments.

Heather (educator extraordinare and mommy blogger) of Diapered Knights will be our guest host next week (January 15). Join us, wontcha?

 

Guest Host for 1/8/12 #storyappchat: Lynley Stace

Help us welcome Lynley Stace of Slap Happy Larry, the team behind the new storybook app The Artifacts. She will be the guest host for this Sunday’s #storyappchat, set for 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Slap Happy Larry comprises the husband and wife team of Dan Hare and Lynley Stace who are based near Canberra. Dan grew up on the central NSW coast and Lynley grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand. Their daughter is three years old. Their first storybook app is called The Artifacts and was released early December, 2011. Music for The Artifacts was created by film and game composer Chris Hurn, also from New Zealand.

So get your questions and comments ready for Lynley–and be sure to take a look at The Artifacts ahead of time. See you Sunday at 9!