Create Books Instantly
I started scanning through my twitter feed this morning and came across a retweet by @wfryer about converting web pages to ebook format using Ebook Glue. Sometimes when I read through my feed I think several items are interesting and worth a second look. So I mark them as a favorite and come back to them later. Others, I don't see a use for me, but see potential for others and retweet it. Every now and then I come across one that I immediately have to try out. This is one of those.
Just to give you the basics for how this works. This site will take any RSS feed and convert it to an ebook in two formats, ePub or Mobi. You get to pick which you prefer or need depending on your device or app of choice. If you are using an iPad you would probably choose the ePub format and open it in iBooks. The site will take the RSS feed and instantly give you a link to the download page. You can share the link or keep it to yourself. Just to try it out, I created a link to this blog and if you want you can download a copy to read later. You have the option to create an account or work without it. The nice thing about creating an account is that it will continually update as the site updates. You can then go back to the link and download updated versions each day or weekly if you want.
Now for the real question. Why would I want to do this? Let me give you a few possibilities.
1. Portfolio or Yearbook. If you are blogging in your classroom, this will give you an offline archive of your activities. Many of you are using a class blog to share events in the classroom. Why not download a copy and share it with parents at the end of the year as a digital portfolio or yearbook.
2. Creating your own textbook. If you are compiling your information for your class in a wiki or blog to use as a resource for your students, take the RSS feed from the site and create a book. Anytime you make an update the students can follow the link to get the most recent version.
3. Professional Development. If you have several blogs or feeds you follow and have any period of time where you will be away from wifi or don't want to use your data, create an ebook of it and download it for later reading. I quickly made links to two of my favorites and have the links below.
Free Technology for Teachers
Cool Cat Teacher
If you don't want students to be required to follow the link every time you make a update, you could save it into some cloud sharing service. I have tried it in Dropbox and it uploads quickly, but I was having trouble with my internet connection and couldn't test it further. Great way to share the file for students to download to their devices. I also tested it in Evernote and it quickly puts it in a note for you. If you put that note in a shared notebook that students can view, they will have a direct link to the file. The drawback here is that it will not open directly in Evernote, but will then try to open in iBooks after you put the file in the notebook. This may save you some time by not needing to send the link to students especially if you already use Evernote to share notes with students. The last one I tried in the test run was Google Drive. It uploads rather quickly, but must be reopened in iBooks, etc. Still a great option for sharing the book with others.
If you prefer to use Kindle, you will want to use the Mobi format when you download the file to your device. I really see a lot of potential with this site and think it is worth checking into.
Just to give you the basics for how this works. This site will take any RSS feed and convert it to an ebook in two formats, ePub or Mobi. You get to pick which you prefer or need depending on your device or app of choice. If you are using an iPad you would probably choose the ePub format and open it in iBooks. The site will take the RSS feed and instantly give you a link to the download page. You can share the link or keep it to yourself. Just to try it out, I created a link to this blog and if you want you can download a copy to read later. You have the option to create an account or work without it. The nice thing about creating an account is that it will continually update as the site updates. You can then go back to the link and download updated versions each day or weekly if you want.
Now for the real question. Why would I want to do this? Let me give you a few possibilities.
1. Portfolio or Yearbook. If you are blogging in your classroom, this will give you an offline archive of your activities. Many of you are using a class blog to share events in the classroom. Why not download a copy and share it with parents at the end of the year as a digital portfolio or yearbook.
2. Creating your own textbook. If you are compiling your information for your class in a wiki or blog to use as a resource for your students, take the RSS feed from the site and create a book. Anytime you make an update the students can follow the link to get the most recent version.
3. Professional Development. If you have several blogs or feeds you follow and have any period of time where you will be away from wifi or don't want to use your data, create an ebook of it and download it for later reading. I quickly made links to two of my favorites and have the links below.
Free Technology for Teachers
Cool Cat Teacher
If you don't want students to be required to follow the link every time you make a update, you could save it into some cloud sharing service. I have tried it in Dropbox and it uploads quickly, but I was having trouble with my internet connection and couldn't test it further. Great way to share the file for students to download to their devices. I also tested it in Evernote and it quickly puts it in a note for you. If you put that note in a shared notebook that students can view, they will have a direct link to the file. The drawback here is that it will not open directly in Evernote, but will then try to open in iBooks after you put the file in the notebook. This may save you some time by not needing to send the link to students especially if you already use Evernote to share notes with students. The last one I tried in the test run was Google Drive. It uploads rather quickly, but must be reopened in iBooks, etc. Still a great option for sharing the book with others.
If you prefer to use Kindle, you will want to use the Mobi format when you download the file to your device. I really see a lot of potential with this site and think it is worth checking into.
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