Add Bookry Widgets to iTunes U

 

Add Bookry Widgets to iTunes U Today we’re delighted to announce iTunes U support for all your Bookry widgets.

In addition to using your widgets in your Multi-Touch books made with iBooks Author, you can also place them in any course on iTunes U. This is how it works:

  1. Create your widgets on Bookry.com as before, using your computer or iPad.
  2. After creating your widget, tap on the ‘iTunes U and App Link’ tab.
  3. You are then presented with a unique widget code for you to place on iTunes U.

To view the widgets, all your students need to do is download the free Bookry Widgets App to their iPad and enter the widget code – simple!

So, if you want to add a Quiz to your course on iTunes U, simply upload your course documentation (e.g. Multi-Touch book, Keynote, PDF, Pages etc.) to iTunes U, then compliment this with your Bookry Quiz widget code, together with the codes of any other Bookry widgets you want to include. You can also provide them with a code for your book project (get this from your book tab on Bookry.com), so that they can download multiple widgets in one go.

Bookry Widget App - Enter Code

Bookry Widgets App is available on the App Store

In addition to iTunes U, you can share the code to view a widget with your students through email, a web link or on your classroom’s whiteboard!

We really hope that this addition will help you to preparing amazing, interactive iTunes U courses for your students.  What’s more, when you’re ready to take the course materials and create your own textbook in iBooks Author, all your widgets will work directly within the iBooks you create, with no further changes. Here are just a few reasons why we think Bookry widgets and iTunes U work perfectly together to let you unleash the full potential of iPad in your classroom:

  • Great Free Widgets
    All our HTML5 widgets are free to use, easy to create, are professional quality and work beautifully on the iPad. We currently have 43 customizable widgets in our Free Widget Library for you to build using our online generator, with software to download or install.
  • Save Widget Data
    The majority of Bookry widgets are Reader Cloud (RC) enabled, which means that students can save any data that they enter into their widgets to their RC account. Logging in and out of Reader Cloud enables students to save and wipe widget data in seconds.
  • Share Widget Data
    Any Reader Cloud enabled widget lets readers share data they’ve entered into that widget. Current sharing options include email (e.g. to the instructor), the student’s Evernote account, or publicly to Facebook or Twitter, if these options are enabled. We also offer an API to integrate widget data with third party systems.
  • Real-time Widget Data Sharing with ‘Rooms’
    From a room, widget participants can progress through widgets together in real-time with students entering data as they go, with the teacher viewing all room data via an organizer Dashboard in the iPad widget itself.
  • Reader Analytics
    Bookry provides you with analytics on student interaction at both widget level and book/course level. Therefore you can see how many times your widgets on iTunes U or iBooks are being viewed.

Learn more about Bookry in Education

Summer iBA Hackathons: Register Now!

We are delighted to be once again supporting two iBA Hackathons taking place in the US over the next few months.

The main purpose of the events is to train educators in designing high-quality, media-rich, interactive iBooks for education. From beginner to published author, the hackathons will take attendees knowledge of iBooks Author and instructional design to the next level.

During the hackathons, teachers will learn about creating content in iBooks Author and how to build interactive widgets. Although we’re unable to attend in person, the Bookry team will be presenting to attendees via Skype/Google+ and will be on hand throughout to offer support and advice on widget generation. For more information and to register for the events please go to:

iBookhack – Zeeland, Michigan on June 16 – 19, 2014

Book Hacking – Conway, Arkansas on July 7-9, 2014

The iBA Book Summer Challenge!
By attending either of these event authors will also have the opportunity to submit a Multi-Touch book created with iBooks Author to a panel of judges. An iPad mini with retina display will be awarded to the best two books submitted by the deadline. Click here to find out more about the contest.

Featured Title: England’s 100 Best Views

Review of England's 100 Best Views on iBooksThis month we take a look at a new multi-touch book written by one of Britain’s most prominent journalists and bestselling authors, Simon Jenkins.

The book is a visual treat as it includes page upon page of stunning scenic photographs of the very best English views as chosen by Jenkins himself, who is currently Chairman of the National Trust. The hardback book is impressive, but with such amazing photography the layout was just perfect for digital publishing on the iPad. The title was created using  Apple’s iBooks Author by publishers Profile Books and YUDU. (more…)

Customize the Peep Hole Shape in Reveal

Reveal widget peep hole functionRecently added to the generator of our very popular Reveal widget, is the ability to upload an image to customize the peep hole shape.  The reader then drags this shape around the screen to guess what’s hidden underneath, rather than the default square shape.

When creating your peep hole image all you need to do is make sure that the peep hole in your image is a transparent area. For the best results make the edge of your image the same color as the ‘Mask Color’ in the generator, and make the image size the same as the peep hole size. For example you could show two circles as binoculars, or perhaps a keyhole shape. (more…)

Sounds added to Maze, Match Game, Reveal & Drag & Drop

More sound effects added to Bookry widgetsWe’ve been busy making changes to many of our generators so that you can now add cool sound effects to your widgets that will really bring them to life.  Our recent additions are:

  • Maze: add a sound when a reader collects and item in the maze.  Also add a win sound on completing a maze.
  • Match Game: add sounds for a selected item, when the reader completes a group, for an incorrect match and on game completion.
  • Reveal: add a sound for the scratching or peeping.
  • Drag & Drop: add sounds for picking up an item, dropping an item and adding a new item.

Remember, Bookry support audio files that are m4a format. You can use QuickTime to convert any existing mp3 files into this format by simply opening the file in QuickTime, selecting ‘File’ > ‘Export’ and then ‘Audio Only’. And if you’re looking for some creative commons free sounds, try these websites:

In-Book Photo Widget for iBooks Author is Here!

Bookry In-Book Photo widget for iBooks AuthorLetting readers take their own photo and place it in your book is a great way to encourage interaction and for readers to personalize the content. With our new In-Book Photo widget, readers simply click on the widget icon and then take a photo using their device.  The photo is then placed in the widget.

This great widget can be used for both fun and functional purposes – such as taking a photo of an amazing cake that’s just been decorated or to capture the results of a completed experiment. Whatever you decide to use it for, our In-Book Photo widget will certainly add a new dimension to your book that your readers will enjoy using. (more…)

‘The Slightly Annoying Elephant’ nominated for Booktrust Award

The Slightly Annoying Elephant nominated in the Best Book AwardsWe’re delighted that David Walliams’ The Slightly Annoying Elephant Multi-Touch book, published by Harper Collins Children’s Books, has been shortlisted by the Booktrust Best Book Awards in the ‘Best Tech Stuff’ category.

The eBook, which was developed Bookry, is the only finalist in this category to be created using Apple’s iBooks Author software with HTML5 widgets. The special edition includes great interactive features like read along, auto play animations, tap animations with sounds, learning activities, social sharing, iPad shake and tilt elements, and reader personalisation. You can learn more about these ground-breaking ‘firsts’ for iBooks Author in this special blog.

Highlights of the book also include narration and extra character voices provided by Walliams himself  (tap on the elephants and other animals to hear his hilarious one liners!), plus stunning illustrations by artistic genius Tony Ross, which have been carefully adapted and animated for the iPad. (more…)

Create a Simple Quiz in 5 Easy Steps

Create a Simple Quiz in 5 Easy StepsThe Quiz Builder widget is a flexible tool that allows you to create easy to use quizzes in your eBooks created with iBooks Author. We want to show you just how easy it is to create a customized quiz widget that feels right at home in one of the free iBooks Author templates. The tutorial is broken down into these 5 easy steps:

  1. Styling
  2. Adding questions
  3. Setting grading options
  4. Summary pages
  5. Receiving quiz responses

Lets get started. First open up iBooks Author and choose the “Classic Text” template from the Portrait section of the template chooser in iBooks Author. (more…)

Create ‘Guess the Word’ puzzles for your iBooks Author titles

Bookry Guess the Word widget for iBooks AuthorOur fantastic new ‘Guess the Word‘ widget lets you create fun, challenging puzzles for any type of book.  To win, readers need to guess the correct word from the picture clues and a group of jumbled up letters. As well as pictures you can also opt for just a written question. The widget generator includes the following great features:

  • Easy to use uploader for adding pictures (with auto-resizing).
  • Mix it up by alternating pictures with written questions.
  • Add as many sequences of questions as you like.
  • Optional scoring.
  • Reader Cloud enabled for ‘saving’ and ‘loading’ for readers.
  • Customizable background, fonts and colors.

Layout choices for Guess the Word widget for iBooks Author

This puzzle is great fun and will definitely impress your readers. There are many places online where you can find public domain images to use with your puzzles.  We’ve listed a few below, but as always, make sure you check the licensing on individual images before using them:

We hope you like this new widget.  If you do then please support us by subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook – thanks!

New Widget: Display Code in your eBook

Bookry code viewer widget for iBooks AuthorThere’s not a lot to say about this widget other than it does exactly what it says on the tin! If you’re writing a book about code and want to include formatted code in it, then this is the perfect widget for you.

Simply upload your code to the Code Viewer online widget generator, which will then auto-magically format the code and add the correct colors for display.  You can also choose from a drop-down of themes. Upon the clicking the widget in the book your reader will be able to:

  • View the code in the correct format, with indents and formatting.
  • Scroll through the code on the page.
  • Send the code by email in its native format e.g. for use in a work-along project with the book.
  • Share the code by Twitter, Facebook and Evernote.

Select a theme for your codeHere is the quickest way to get this widget into iBooks Author:

  1. Visit the free Widget Library page and click on the Code Viewer widget.
  2. Select the ‘Download Now’ button.
  3. Fill in the pop-up (you will need to select a username and password if you are a new user).
  4. Fill in the ‘Static’ and ‘Live’ settings in the online generator and ‘Save’
  5. Download the widget file to your Mac and drag it into iBA.