How to Use E-Books in Instruction

Now that all of our classrooms have interactive whiteboards, and even the media center has an interactive white panel for use by classes visiting the library or during meetings, let's talk about a way to use it beyond Smart Notebook.

Although a few teachers still are limiting themselves to using the boards more as a glorified overhead with bells and whistles (and I know that's due to feeling more familiar with old-school technology and a lack of time to really do that in-depth exploring with the new stuff), one great way to work with your students on the interactive whiteboards is through e-books. We have access to a few thousand non-fiction and several hundred fiction titles on Follett Shelf and our Gale E-books.

First, to access those books:

1.  Follett Shelf: From our school's webpage, go to student life and to library media center. There is a link to the library catalog (often referred to as "Destiny") there. When on Destiny, click on the Catalog tab at the top, and you will see Follett Shelf on the lower left side. A teacher's username and password are both the same: your employee ID#. For students, it is their computer username and password. 
2. Gale E-books: From the library media center website, go to the research zone and the e-books are there. Follow the directions for the username and password listed on the research zone.

Now that you have access to these e-books, we will concentrate on the Follett Shelf books because of the features the "Shelf" offers. These features allow highlighting, note-taking (and these notes can be saved), and book-marking as well as citations for the book and for passages in the book.

This short video shows some of the great features of Follett Shelf E-books and how to use them in instruction. Your interactive whiteboard is perfect for e-books!