Language Learning with iBooks Author

by Egmond Boon, Design Subject Lead, Educational Technology Coach Grades 7 to 12 -

Grade 9 ELL students in Ms. Morgan’s class use “iBooks Author” as an eportfolio tool, to display their work, and track personal improvement with regards to English language acquisition.

“iBooks Author” provides students with an excellent platform where they can easily combine various texts with multimedia, use the glossary to keep the vocabulary in one place, and classify their units of inquiry as “chapters”. The eportfolio enables students and teachers to get a holistic overview of what has been learnt by the end of the year, while also documenting each step of the students’ learning journey.

Here are a few testimonials from Grade 9 ELL students who reflect on their use of iBooks Author in their learning:

Sz-Ying Lee, Grade 9 ELL student

I use iBooks Author to record English homework revisions, such as essay notes, diary points, and question and answer sessions from class. I use the tool to organise my work by separating each unit of inquiry as a “chapter” and the corresponding sections under each unit. In addition, I use the glossary to store new vocabulary words and terms, which makes it easy to go reflect and review when needed.

Akari Lukia Takehara, Grade 9 ELL student

I am using iBooks Author for Language Arts class so that I can show what we have learnt throughout the school year. We have read 3 different books so far, and I have made different “chapters and sections” to separate and organise the text and works. Under Glossary, I listed all the new vocabulary in order to prepare myself for my tests.