This document discusses the potential benefits and issues of multi-platform publishing of course materials. It suggests that electronic books (e-books) offer opportunities for increased interactivity, engagement through comments and revision notes, accessibility across different formats and devices, lower production costs, and greater convenience. However, e-books also need to be made accessible on the devices students prefer, such as mobile phones and tablets, and issues around copyright and licensing would need to be addressed if content is distributed outside of an institution. Wikibooks are proposed as one way to easily create customized, copyright-cleared e-books by combining relevant Wikipedia articles.
1. Books Without
Boundaries
Possible Benefits & Problems of multi-platform publishing
Philip Wane
School of Social Sciences
2. Do you author “books”?
• A book is a set of written, printed, illustrated, or
blank sheets, made of ink, paper, parchment, or
other materials, usually fastened together to
hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is
called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called
a page. A book produced in electronic form is
known as an electronic book (e-book).
• Many course materials are de facto books
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book
3. If creating de facto e-books…
• Like proper books you want them to be read
• Once upon a time paper handouts
• Then move to paper handouts + e-copies
• Increasingly electronic only (e-copies)
• Often Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF
• Often static text heavy documents (books)
• Often in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
4. Encouraging engagement?
• Questions? Are students likely to prefer:
• Reading large chunks of text on a screen
• Reading small chunks of text on a screen
• Enjoy looking at static documents
• Enjoy looking at more interactive documents
• Prefer reading stuff sat at a desktop computer
• Prefer reading stuff via mobile devices
5. E-books?
• Electronic books (Word, PDF & “proper” e-books)
• Engaging Enriched Enterprising books
• Best course materials no good if not read
• Electronic books offer options for
– Increased interaction
– Editorial engagement (revision notes)
– Friendlier formats
– Lower costs
– Higher convenience
6. How?
• Make more of what you’ve got (Word & PDF)
• Break free from the VLE
• with services like ISSUU
• Most students love their mobile devices
• These are also great educational engines
• By design (like the iPad & eBook Readers)
• Or by good luck – mobile phones, iPods etc
7. Making more of Word & PDF
• Make more of what you’ve got
• Microsoft Word & Adobe PDF come with tools
• Show or remind students about these
– Search contents
– Highlight text
– Add notes
– Track changes
– Share comments
– All great for study & revision (often overlooked?)
12. Escape from the VLE?
• Some great “publishing” services
• Re-present basic Word & PDF documents
• Many such services
• Ideal for computer based reading
• I use Issuu
• Easy to search for other uploads
• For example JISC Reports on Issuu
14. People read on the move
• Think of commuters who read
– Books, Papers & Magazines (+ work stuff)
• They read things on their
– Mobile Phones
– E-Readers
– iPads (& other tablets)
– Laptop computers
• If commuters can do it so can we in education
16. Range of eBook Readers
• Dedicated readers such as
– Sony eBook
– Kindle
– Kobo
• De facto readers such as
– Smart phones
– iPads & other tablets
– Laptops & Desktops
18. Upwardly Mobile?
• If our students are mobile consumers
• Should we not give them this option
• Create copies of course documents for mobile
• There are dedicated formats & devices
• Popular formats like Word & PDF also work
• Options to convert to ePub & other standards
• Apple’s iBooks anyone?
19. Open Educational Resources (OER)
• eBooks part of wider OER movement
• Option to licence under Creative Commons
• Some issues to be noted
– Option to simply distribute unlicenced
– Some platforms (Apple) licence issues
– Okay if free but issues if selling
– Needs to be addressed by institutions
– Plus copyright issues around sourced contents
20. Become an Editor as well as an Author
• Wikipedia provides a tool for creating books
• You can be the editor of a collection of articles
• All for free
• Copyright cleared
• Electronic or printed
• Want to know more?
22. Wikipedia Book Creator
• Easy creation of Wikibooks
• Create electronic books in minutes*
• Popular formats including Adobe PDF files
• *Real-time creation of a Wikibook in 4 minutes (& other videos) via Phil
23. Why might educators use them?
1. Free
2. Credible
3. Copyright cleared
• Furthermore…
• Customisable
• Easy to update and/or edit
• Wikibooks* are custom collections of articles
• *Wikipedia Book Creations
24. Why might educators use them?
• Whatever other reasons (as per previous slide)
• Improve the educational experience
• Enhance the learning process
• Supply structured selections
• Complement other course materials
• Great for educators in widest sense
• Parents, peers & other de facto pedagogues
25. Examples of Actual Use
• Used to complement module materials
• E.g. PowerPoint, Word & Wikibook
26. Example of Actual Use (VLE)
• Providing alternative depths of support
29. So…
• Whilst observing the CC licence
• Quick to create
• Easy to re-edit
• Easily tailored to learning & teaching
• Electronic and/or printed formats
• Complements “core” materials
• Potential to become core materials
30. Wikipedia Book Creator
• Outputs in PDF or ODF format by default
• Update late September 2012 + ePub format
• Suitable for VLEs etc or printing for classes
• But is it really a book? Reminder…
• A book is a set of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made
of ink, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to
hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each
side of a leaf is called a page. A book produced in electronic form is known
as an electronic book (e-book).
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book
36. Thank you!
• Questions?
• These slides are available
• See short videos about Wikibooks
• http://www.philwane.com/wikibook.html
• Kindle & iBook Guides coming shortly…
• Please feel free to contact me at
• philip.wane@ntu.ac.uk
• Phone 0115 848 5587
