North Penn School District is a progressive public school district located in southeastern Pennsylvania, serving a diverse student population where over 80 languages are spoken. The district is committed to fostering inclusivity and accessibility in education, ensuring that all students have equal opportunities to thrive.
The North Penn Technology team prioritizes accessibility, as well as innovation and student engagement, frequently exploring new tools and methodologies to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.
Enter: Book Creator + Wit & Wisdom®
Before adopting the Wit & Wisdom® curriculum, the district had a growing focus on integrating digital tools into classrooms. Book Creator, a versatile platform for creating interactive digital books, was already being used as an educational resource for various subjects. Teachers and technology coaches leveraged Book Creator to foster creativity, collaborative learning, and digital literacy among students.
However, the district was on the lookout for a curriculum that could strengthen literacy instruction and critical thinking while aligning with state standards. Enter Wit & Wisdom, an ELA curriculum designed to elevate student engagement through rich, knowledge-building texts and artful teaching strategies.
The transition to a new curriculum always presents some challenges. While Wit & Wisdom supported North Penn with the roll-out, adapting to a new curriculum is always an adjustment for teachers. Also, with a multilingual and varied student population, online features that could support accessibility, language translation, and multimodal learning were needed.
Why North Penn chose Book Creator
Wendy Stover, edTech Learning Coach, and her team tested various tools before selecting Book Creator as the cornerstone for their Wit & Wisdom roll-out. Key features that influenced their decision include:
- Ease of Use: Intuitive for both teachers and students, minimizing technical hurdles.
- Multimedia Integration: The ability to embed videos, audio, and interactive components makes learning more dynamic.
- Accessibility Features: Text-to-speech, voice recording, and customizable layouts cater to diverse learning needs.
- Support for Multilingual Students: Tools for translation and multimodal learning make content accessible to all.
- Consistency and Engagement: Students familiar with Book Creator embraced its role in their new ELA curriculum.
The Impact of Book Creator in Wit & Wisdom Implementation
Book Creator and Wit & Wisdom combined to transform ELA delivery at North Penn, addressing key challenges and elevating the learning experience.
- Supports Differentiation: Flexible features allow teachers to tailor lessons to meet individual student needs.
- Encourages Creativity: Students express learning through multimedia projects, moving beyond traditional assessments.
- Enhances Digital Literacy: From editing to understanding copyright, students develop essential 21st-century skills.
- Offers New Assessment Options: Teachers can evaluate understanding through interactive and creative digital books.
- Boosts Engagement: Students feel motivated creating shareable, meaningful projects.
Explore some examples of the Wit & Wisdom aligned journals below.
How teachers are bringing Wit & Wisdom to life in North Penn
As educators in North implement Wit & Wisdom, many have found that integrating Book Creator into their classrooms enhances engagement, accessibility, and creativity in ways that transform the learning experience.
From digital vocabulary journals to multimedia storytelling projects, Book Creator is empowering teachers and students alike.
Teacher and student feedback: how did it go?
The response to Book Creator has been overwhelmingly positive, with teachers and students praising its impact on learning:
“Book Creator has significantly increased student engagement in the classroom by providing an interactive platform that allows students to express their creativity and showcase their understanding of the Wit & Wisdom curriculum.
With its user-friendly interface, students can easily use the Module One digital book that incorporates text, images, audio, and video, making learning more dynamic and enjoyable. This hands-on approach encourages collaboration and communication, as students often work in groups to brainstorm ideas and share their learning.”– Laura Van Houten, 5th Grade ELA Teacher
Georgiann Duggan, a Technology Support Specialist, highlights how Book Creator enables both teachers and students to thrive: "Book Creator has enhanced classroom experiences by enabling teachers to create interactive, multimedia-rich lessons and personalized instructional materials. It supports differentiated instruction, formative assessment through embedded quizzes, and digital portfolios for ongoing evaluation.
The platform also promotes personalized learning and self-paced study, allowing students to showcase their work and reflect on their learning journey, thus fostering a more dynamic and motivating educational environment."
Empowering students with accessibility features
One of Book Creator’s standout qualities is its commitment to accessibility. Teachers have seen firsthand how features like text-to-speech, audio recording, and embedded multimedia make a real difference for diverse learners.
Latia Ceranic, a Technology Support Specialist, shared:
Students who face challenges with reading or writing are able to participate more fully in class activities. Features like read-aloud and audio recordings allow these students to access materials and demonstrate understanding in ways that suit their needs. It’s not just a tool; it’s a platform that empowers both teachers and students.
Unleashing versatility across subjects
While Book Creator has proven to be a perfect fit for digital ELA notebooks, teachers are discovering its potential far beyond the Wit & Wisdom curriculum.
"While it’s perfect for creating digital ELA notebooks, Book Creator is versatile enough to be used across various subjects and projects. It can support everything from science journals and math explanations to history reports and art portfolios."
– Wendy
As teachers and students continue to embrace Book Creator for Wit & Wisdom, they’re also unlocking new possibilities for creativity, collaboration, and engagement across all subject areas.
Latia Ceranic reinforces this sentiment:
"One surprising aspect of Book Creator has been its versatility and adaptability across various subjects and grade levels. Initially, we anticipated it would be primarily useful for language arts, but it has proven effective in a wide range of subjects, including science, history, and even math."
Increased student ownership and creativity
North Penn teachers have been impressed by the level of student ownership and pride that Book Creator fosters in the classroom. As students experiment with multimedia elements like images, audio, and video, they can personalize their work and express their ideas in ways that paper-and-pencil assignments simply don’t allow.
Examples of Creative Opportunties in Book Creator
Laura Van Houten notes:
“By empowering students to take ownership of their learning through storytelling and multimedia, Book Creator fosters a deeper connection to the material, ultimately leading to enhanced motivation and enthusiasm in the classroom.”
This sentiment is echoed by Latia Ceranic:
“For students, the interactive and multimedia elements helped keep them engaged and showcase their creativity while enhancing their literacy and digital skills. For teachers, the platform has been very useful for lesson planning and interactive assignments, facilitating immediate feedback and allowing personalized learning paths for ESL learners, as just one example.”
Real-Time Impact: Wit & Wisdom in action
Teachers implementing Book Creator with Wit & Wisdom are seeing immediate benefits. Jess Bennett, a 5th Grade ELA teacher, shares:
“Wendy did an amazing job creating notebooks that aligned perfectly with the lessons in the module. I like that I can copy the whole book, but then I can modify and edit the pages to best fit my specific lessons and needs of my students. Book Creator has made the lessons more engaging and more accessible for students.”
Meghan emphasized this in the following email to Wendy.
In classrooms across the North Penn, Book Creator is fostering collaboration, enhancing digital literacy, and empowering students to create meaningful connections with their learning. The journey with Wit & Wisdom is more dynamic than ever.
North Penn's future plans with Book Creator
Building on the success of integrating Book Creator with the Wit & Wisdom curriculum, North Penn School District has exciting plans for the 2024-2025 school year:
- Expanding Resources: The district will add Book Creator resources for Module 3 and beyond, further embedding the platform into their ELA curriculum.
- Continuous Professional Development: North Penn will offer workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions to ensure teachers feel confident and supported as they use Book Creator in their classrooms.
- Data-Driven Insights: The district plans to evaluate the impact of digital notebooks on student outcomes, refining and enhancing their use based on measurable results.
- Deeper Integration: Book Creator will become an indispensable resource within Wit & Wisdom®, ensuring seamless alignment with instructional goals while exploring cross-curricular applications.
As teachers and students continue to embrace Book Creator for Wit & Wisdom, they're also discovering its versatility across other subjects, unlocking new possibilities for creativity, collaboration, and student engagement.
Why your school should consider Book Creator
By combining the rigor of the Wit & Wisdom curriculum with the creativity and interactivity of Book Creator, North Penn School District has set a new standard for innovation in literacy instruction. This is just one example of how thoughtful integration of technology and curriculum can empower teachers, engage students, and achieve meaningful learning outcomes.
"Overall, Book Creator is a powerful and versatile tool that enhances student engagement, creativity, and collaboration, making it an excellent addition to any school's digital toolkit," Latia Ceranic.
As Wendy mentioned to us “For schools implementing new curricula (like Wit & Wisdom), Book Creator offers a dynamic way to digitize resources and tailor them to meet the needs of their students, making lessons more interactive and comprehensive.”
Whether you're implementing Wit & Wisdom or another curriculum, Book Creator provides a solution for increased accessibility, creativity, and differentiation. By aligning seamlessly with modern educational needs, it empowers students to learn and express themselves uniquely through digital and multimedia options.
As North Penn School District continues to refine this approach, it serves as an inspiring model for other districts aiming to enhance literacy instruction through digital innovation.
Do you use Wit & Wisdom or another curriculum?
If your curriculum could benefit from increased accessibility, creativity, differentiation, and digital/multimedia options, we’d love to chat!
A special thanks to North Penn School District
A heartfelt thank you to Wendy Stover and the entire North Penn team for their dedication and creativity in bringing Wit & Wisdom to life with Book Creator.
We’re honored to partner with educators who prioritize creative, accessible, and engaging learning for all students. Thank you for inspiring us and for sharing this journey with us.
Get Book Creator for your school!
- Upgraded accounts for all your teachers
- Implementation plan to help with rollout
- PD support
- Analytics & admin dashboard
Kathleen joined the Book Creator team in January 2021, bringing her experience in education to the partnerships team. Kathleen loves to chat with educators and learners from around the world.
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