How to use digital books to energize writing and create uncheatable assessments

Reading scores and student engagement are down. But one of my favorite tools for learning can re-energize the love of reading and writing, and prevent cheating from #AI, too.

Student-created digital books can energize writing assignments and also make them AI-proof.

There’s no skill more important than writing–it's the foundation for all other disciplines, and is a great way to process ideas, think critically, and develop a personal voice and public presence. What’s often missing from writing assignments is their purpose, and assignments that are also relevant to the way our students (and educators!) create and consume content out in the wild.

One of my favorite multimedia projects featured in my book is the digital book, a curated set of learning artifacts like written assignments, multimedia elements like maps, diagrams, video, and audio recordings, and links to current websites to keep citations evergreen. 

Use digital books in every subject area and grade level for assignments like:

• Portfolios. Students curate their best work, including personal reflections (as text or audio), and compile it over a semester or year.
• Lab reports. Liven up dry labs with video of experiments, data visualizations, audio reflections, and links to related research or past labs.
• Literary magazines. It's great to hold paper books, but digital books allow students to add photos, video, and spoken word to their ‘zines, and there’s no printing or shipping costs.

Learn more about using digital book projects in classes of all grade levels and subject areas  in my book, Storytelling With Purpose: Digital Projects to Ignite Student Curiosity. Find tips for how to grade digital books, form collaborative teams, and what to consider when publishing publicly

Pick up a copy of my book about authentic learning: https://amzn.to/3mr1iIC

Learn how to use Pages to create digital books on Mac and iPad in this book I co-wrote with Apple