THE EDUCATION BLOG
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Creating reading materials for your students is a worthwhile endeavor as you can tailor your eBooks or flipbooks to their specific learning needs. Making eBooks/flipbooks is a fairly easy process and you can make your resources as simple or as fancy as you wish, depending on how much money you are willing to spend on software programs. I’ll start by explaining how to make eBooks for free, and then move on to adding additional features. A. Making a Microsoft Word or PDF eBook1. Map out your storyline. 2. Open a new Microsoft Office Word document, and type your story out. Microsoft Word will allow you to customize your headers/footers and document layout. 3. If you would like to add photos or illustrations to your story, Pixabay is a fantastic site offering a large selection of royalty free images. Simply select your images, download onto your computer and then insert them into your Word document. Microsoft Word will allow you to add audio files to your story; however, the files will not play once you convert your document to a PDF file. You will need to restrict editing on your Word document if you do not wish students to make changes to your eBook.
4. If you wish to share your document in PDF format, you can choose to save your work as a PDF document. If your Microsoft Word program is not providing you the option of saving as a PDF file, there are plenty of online free Word to PDF converters that will do the job for you, and we have listed a few to choose from: Once saved, you have the option to change the viewing mode from single to two-page depending on how you would like your students to view your eBook: You now have a PDF eBook that you can print out for students, upload onto a class blog, or email to students for them to view on their own devices through Adobe Acrobat Reader DC – a free program you can download. Adding Audio Files As mentioned above, if you choose not to convert your file to PDF, you can add audio files to your Word document for free. If you would like to add audio buttons to your PDF files, you will need to purchase a program, such as Adobe Acrobat Pro XI that will allow to embed your audio files into the document. To create your audio files, you can use a free program such as Audacity. Simply record yourself reading, save your file and insert into your PDF file. If you would like fancier audio buttons than the ones provided by Adobe Acrobat Pro XI, you can use free sound icon images provided by Pixabay to replace them. B. Converting Your eBook into a FlipbookTurning your PDF files into flipbooks is a simple and quick process; however, it does require the purchase of additional software, such as: Flipbuilder, FlippingBook or 3D Issue. The programs range in price, so you will need to research the one that best suits your needs. Programs such as 3D Issue will allow you to add audio files into your flipbooks, thereby eliminating the need to purchase a program such as Adobe Acrobat Pro XI. The flipbooks created will be in HTML5 format, which can be shared with students via email, on a blog, or simply by providing your students with a link. Depending on the program, you can also create offline versions to share with students on a DVD, CD, or USB. Below are a few samples created using 3D Issue: FSL - Les saisons ESL - My School Emergent Reader - Animals Have you created eBooks or flipbooks for your students? Are there any additional tips you would like to share? 
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