Teachers across Norway are using Book Creator to vary student learning, and give students ownership of their work. From demonstrating language proficiency, to defying barriers of communication, Book Creator has given Norwegian students a platform to own their voice. In this case study, we take a look at how Eigersund Kommune and Oygarden Kommune are using Book Creator to enhance student expression.
When teachers at Eigersund Kommune first discovered the Book Creator iPad app almost a decade ago, it immediately started drawing their interest. As more books were created, and more students became authors, Book Creator spread organically throughout the kommune. The natural swell of Book Creator support in Eigersund led to the kommune purchasing premium Book Creator Online licenses for their teachers. They have now been using Book Creator Online / Web as a kommune for six years.
Further north in Oygarden, a similar effect took place. For over five years, Oygarden kommune have used Book Creator across their schools. The tool has been used by teachers of various grades and subjects as a way of bringing individualised learning into the classroom.
A+ for adaptability
When Eigersund first bought Book Creator, they were implementing a new Top 10 Digital Tools Program, which Book Creator was a core part of. Rune Svanes Pedersen, a kommune administrator for Eigersund, remembers implementing Book Creator during this time. A core pillar of the program was that “there should be opportunities for varied teaching for our pupils,” he explains, “Book Creator is an important tool here.” An appsmashing powerhouse, Book Creator allows users to add almost any kind of media to its pages, from text to video to PDFs and more. This means students can freely communicate their thoughts in the way that works best for them.
That’s a superpower that is felt by Eigersund’s educators, too. Annfrid, a librarian in Eigersund says she loves Book Creator because “it is so accessible to the children.” They can use the different tools inside Book Creator in a variety of ways, diversifying how students choose to present their work. Some students may record long videos discussing their ideas, while others prefer to just record their voice. Avid writers and those less confident can choose to use more or less text. This allows librarians like Annfrid to champion student voice and choice by putting learning in the students’ hands. Students are given a unique chance to vary their own learning, and because of this they are more engaged in the work they are creating.
Providing variety and choice for student creation is equally important to the teachers in Oygarden. 5th Grade Teacher Marianne Turøy uses Book Creator because it is easy to adapt, and students enjoy it for that reason. Where the classic pen and paper limited some students who were less fond of writing, Book Creator gives every student free rein of how they present their ideas. As Marianne says, it’s “easy to use the microphone for those who do not want to write as much.” It’s also easy for students who are less confident drawing to create high quality drawings by using the AutoDraw function - an AI pen tool which guesses what they are trying to draw, and replaces it with a clearly outlined icon.
The fact that all its features are neatly packed into just two buttons. That's pretty remarkable.
Impressive expression
While its popularity with teachers put Book Creator on Eigersund kommune’s radar, it was what it could do for students that really made it important. “We saw it as a great way of letting our kids express knowledge in various ways…” Rune explains, “Students can show their knowledge through speaking, making films, drawing or writing.” By combining all these elements together, students are able to dive deeper into their thoughts and questions in the classroom in one space. Book Creator automatically varies the ways that students can show their learning by offering a free choice of tools. This meets all students where they are at, helping break down the communication barriers sometimes felt with traditional pen and paper, especially “for those students for whom writing has been a barrier to demonstrating their knowledge.”
Annfrid finds her students are more motivated to work in Book Creator thanks to the ability to add backgrounds, shapes, and move their words around the page. They can add sentences in different text boxes and move them around the page as their thoughts change and take shape. Annfrid says that her students want to bring their work into Book Creator, like the adventure projects they worked on together. “They can create nice backgrounds for the text, and that also motivates them a lot to work with Book Creator.”
The teachers at Oygarden kommune feel the same way. With digital books being made across a diverse range of grades and subjects, Oygarden students are enjoying the work they create. Even reluctant writers can “still get the message across” by using their voice, video, or any media, says Marianne. By offering students the ability to self-differentiate and choose their form of expression, Book Creator is offering a space where every student can express their knowledge.
Learning across languages
Both kommunes have found this creativity integral to language learning in the classroom. With the ability to write, speak, and record in over 100 languages and get that work auto-translated within Book Creator, students have the freedom to express themselves in whichever language they choose. This also makes Book Creator a go-to tool for language learning, as you can create in multiple forms in multiple languages in the same space.
Annfrid has created everything from diaries to science reports, in both Norwegian and English. She also uses it at home to read homework that is in English. “Right now we are using it to write fairy tales, and the goal eventually is to create our own book about fairy tales.” She finds that her students are more motivated to write because they can change the fonts and colours, making their book something which wholly represents them.
Rannveig Vindenes at Oygarden has also used Book Creator to encourage language practice. “Future in the Past - War Stories” (above) is a project about war stories across different nations, presented clearly and concisely in a digital book using multiple languages. The different languages can be read side by side in one beautifully presented book.
“Creating composite text is an important learning objective in language classes,” Eigersund Administrator Rune tells us. By formatting the different language texts next to each other, Rannveig’s students were able to compare and contrast the languages they were working in. The book brings together multiple languages for a shared reading experience and subject.
“A Great-Looking Product for Our Pupils”
Easy: that is the word that comes up time and time again for how Book Creator is enhancing learning in Norwegian kommunes. By lowering the barrier for communication with a simple interface, and diversifying the ways that students can present their work, Book Creator offers a blank canvas that every student can find their voice on. No one is left behind by complicated instructions, or limitations in what their work must look or sound like.
For every student, in every lesson, Book Creator offers an expressive platform to show their learning, which all starts with just two buttons. When students and teachers open the tool to create a book, they need not look further than the top right of their screen. From the yellow plus button, or the blue i button, Book Creator users can add and/or edit whatever content they want to add to their book.
“The most impressive feature is how easy it is to create a great-looking product for our pupils,” says Rune. As many educators across the globe will know, when students can customise their work and make it look great, they are proud of the work that they create. The low barrier of entry to using Book Creator is its superpower, as learners of all ages and abilities are able to find their voice with this tool.
Whether it is filming answers to questions, or writing responses in multiple languages, students in Norway can take ownership of their thoughts in whatever modality they choose. Teachers can present work in different formats to suit the needs of each student. From Eigersund to Oygarden, Book Creator is removing barriers to expression, enhancing varied learning, and creating enjoyable classroom experiences with teachers and students.
Get Book Creator for your school!
- Upgraded accounts for all your teachers
- Implementation plan to help with rollout
- PD support
- Analytics & admin dashboard
April Braithwaite joined Book Creator in January 2023, bringing with her a passion for digital literacy and inclusive learning experiences. If you’ve met her, you’d probably heard her catchphrase: “I wish I had Book Creator when I was in school!”
Related posts
-
17 October, 2024 -
26 November, 2024 -
20 May, 2022 -
13 March, 2025 -
31 May, 2023 -
8 April, 2020 -
7 June, 2024 -
3 June, 2024