I was thrilled to get a chance to review three enhanced media books from Weigl Publishers. I mean, after all, why would you merely sit and read a book when you can have it come alive on screen with enhanced media books! I was given the opportunity to review three titles:
There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant - Ideal for Grades K-2.
A Lion's World - A beautifully illustrated and narrated book perfect for young science learners of Grades K-2.
Glaciers from the series "Earth's Water" - Ideal for Grades 3-6
What is Weigl Publishers and their media enhanced books?
Imagine picking up a book that has been optimized for tablets, whiteboards, computers and other on-screen options. You are then given the option to read it, read along with a narrated voice, or have it read to you with additional interactive activities all at your fingertips as the book unfolds. Weigl Publishers and Smartbook Media, Inc. have taken more than 1800 books and made them interactive to offer innovative, high-quality learning experiences for educators. Choose from books about animals, presidents, states, math, science, social studies, chapter books, and so much more. There are even Spanish titles.
This is not a subscription! Once you activate your code, it never expires. All of the on-screen books come with a special code that you use to activate the book to begin narration, sound effects, and links to additional resources of videos, activities, slideshows, interactive maps, transparencies, games, quizzes, and puzzles. Each book is delivered in PDF format and contains a special code that unlocks the interactive e-book. The only thing you need to bring the book to life is the code and a computer, tablet, or phone to play it on that allows Flash and/or Javascript.
All of the onscreen books are more than just a PDF. When you go to the specified websites and type in the included code, you can follow along with the stories being narrated. Once you type in the code, you will also be asked to type in a word specified from the story to verify you have purchased the book to be read. Most play with no problems on any browser, with the Cowpoke book requiring the use of Javascript or Flash Player 9.
Here is a little sample of what the story sounds like:
Here is a little sample of what the story sounds like:
There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant - A 31-page story presented on 19 PDF pages - Ideal for Grades K-2. This is a read-along story complete with sound effects that are intended to get the child excited about reading with this silly, fun story that follows a sequential poetic style that builds on the previous pages. There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant requires that you have installed or allow a one-time run of Javascript or Flash player 9. It's a fun story that's narrated and run on av2books.com with a pleasant narrator voice, sound effects, and the cowpoke's voice chimes in occasionally. This story is intended for K-2.
Glaciers from the series "Earth's Water" - 23-page book presented on 15 PDF pages - is published under the imprint Lightbox and is intended for Grades 3-6, offering a narrated story with further study links included learning scientific facts about glaciers. There is an on-screen test and other fun and educational activities throughout the book. You can have the story narrated to you on getlightbox.com using the special code that is included. The narration on this one is a computer generated voice which I tried to change to a more personalized voice but couldn't figure out how to change, or maybe it's set and can't be changed. I don't know. But, you can always turn off the voice and read it yourself if it is distracting to you. The rest of the Glaciers pack is amazing. You click on the videos, and the full-screen amazing videography comes up. You click on the activity pack, and you get an on-screen test and worksheet. It's really all right there at your fingertips.
How Did We Use It?
I downloaded the PDF files and opened each PDF book up to retrieve their codes. I then went to the specified website to enter the code and began to play each one. My youngest is 11, but the Cowpoke book is the first one I played for her to see/hear. It made her laugh, which is a good thing since it's intended to be a silly little fun story to engage a child in reading along. But, what the child probably doesn't realize is that in all of the silliness, the story is actually presenting words in a poetic and sequential style that is helping the child memorize and anticipate what will come next. From there, I began to play the Lion book and finally the Glacier book which is right in her age range and offers quite a bit of information about glaciers along with a hands-on science experiment to try and even a quiz.
What Did We Think?
I really like the idea of taking books and making them come alive and interactive. Once the files are downloaded and the code is entered, it's really easy for the child/student to click on the necessary prompts to keep the story going or to dive into more learning activities. I thought the illustrations were beautiful on all of the books in and of itself before the sounds and additional interaction even begins which only adds to the learning experience.
Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:
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