Hi everyone,

Since the Literacy Footprints Digital Reader launched last week, I have been looking for a way to create engaging book introductions to accompany the digital reader in a format that displays both the teacher and the digital book on the same screen. As we all know, in a guided reading lesson, the book introduction plays a critical role in preparing students for reading the book by providing a synopsis, looking at challenging words, rehearsing unusual language structures, and reviewing interesting text features. But it’s also a great way to get students excited about reading the book—and this is why book introductions are such a powerful component of the remote lesson.

As I’ve made the shift to remote guided reading lessons, I am finding that the way the teacher presents their book introduction can help boost that excitement factor. A particularly effective technique involves filming your book intro in such a way that the screen displays you talking and also shows the digital book. When the lesson is presented in this way (with the teacher and book next to each other), it appears to students that you are looking at the digital book together—and creates a feeling of connection and more of a classroom-like atmosphere. There’s something about the juxtaposition of teacher and book that makes the lesson seem less remote to students … and therefore more engaging and interesting.

I took some time this week to look at the technologies available to find what would be easiest and fastest if I wanted my book intro recording to include a view of the digital reader. I found QuickTime easier to use—but that may be because I am a Mac user. I also had Justin, our Manager of Digital Strategy and Development, research the best way to accomplish this on a PC. If you would like to create your own video book introductions that include a view of the digital book you are working with, watch our Mac/PC how-to videos!

MAC:
For Mac Users: How to Make a Recorded Book Introduction

PC:
For Windows Users: How to Make a Recorded Book Introduction