The story of the 1916 Rising in Dublin is told in two new multi-touch books Scéal 1916 & The Story of 1916 produced as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. They are packed with videos, interactivity and multimedia to engage readers with an authentic learning experience, which brings this period of Irish history to life.The iBooks were launched last week at Scoil Chroí Íosa in Galway city.
The publications were produced by Seán Ó Grádaigh, Lecturer in Education at NUI Galway, in collaboration with partners, Century Ireland, Boston College, National Library of Ireland, COGG and the School of Education at NUI Galway.
“These resources were built as iBooks using iBooks Author which allows teachers to create stunning multi-touch textbooks” remarked Seán Ó Grádaigh. “The rich digital media content and interactivity along with the built-in assessment and accessibility features facilitate all types of learners in a way that the printed page never could.”
At the launch, Dr Jim Browne, NUI Galway President remarked: “This year marks a special moment of national reflection for all citizens. This project ensures that schools have a wonderful new interactive tool to help teachers and students to learn more about 1916 in a dynamic and fun way. I’m delighted that NUI Galway has been involved in this effort and I’d like to congratulate Seán Ó Grádaigh and all the team involved in putting together such an engaging publication.”
Mary Fleming, Head of the School of Education, NUI Galway said “The teaching of educational technology and in particular content creation for education is a key focus on our teacher education programmes. We hope that these new resources will engage and be enjoyed by teachers and learners in both primary and second-level schools”
Speaking at the launch, John Concannon, Director of Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, said: “Bringing history to life for young people was always a core ambition of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. This multimedia book is a great example of how that can be done. We are delighted to support it.”
Scéal 1916 & The Story of 1916 are now available as free downloads from the iBook Store. https://itun.es/ie/erY1bb.n