It would be great to be able to add iBook type widgets to Bloom. For example I’ve been able to create one that animates the writing of a letter. This sort of thing could add a lot of interaction elements to a book.
@HazelL
Could you please provide some more detail for your request?
Is this more than a video? The user can actually interact with it?
Video import is already possible.
We are currently working on having the ability for users to add custom interactive pages, but this will be a technical process (requiring some javascript ability) as currently designed.
Hi @HazelL,
Yes, this is in the works, sort of. IBooks Widgets are buttons that you click and then they can pop up an activity. Bloom Activities are instead template pages that you insert in your book and configure in the Edit Tab.
The Quiz page in Bloom 4.6 is our first example of one of these. I’m in PNG this week where SIL has a technical team that intends to start creating them, and I expect to see at least a couple of simple activities (in addition to our existing Quiz one) in 2020. If you know of other entities willing to devote web programming know-how to creating activities, please have them get in touch.
I don’t know for sure if we’ll literally incorporate ibooks widgets (which are html+js+css just like Bloom Activities). It looks like it might be possible. I understand that mac-based programs exist that help non-programmers make those, so that would be a nice option.
–jh
Widgets can be all sort of things. I’ve been experimenting with Hype 4 and have created an animation widget for writing letters, one for each letter. I’ve also made quizzes with both sound, pictures and feedback. There’s a huge amount that can be done. I’m hoping to develop an interactive transition primer. These widgets can be imported into Kotobee Author, which is an ebook authoring app for both Mac and Windows. Hype is only on Mac at this point. Another app that creates interactive and animated objects is Hippani Animator. I’m only just beginning to learn about it, but it seems to need some knowledge of java for more interactive objects. It doesn’t make iBooks widgets, but web apps. It’s also possible to create book widgets online on bookry.com and bookwidgets.com. These can the be downloaded and added to Kotobee books. I’ve not experimented with iBooks Author because it’s not available for Windows.
I can upload my work to google drive and send a link if that will be helpful.
Hazel
September 6Hi @HazelL,
Yes, this is in the works, sort of. IBooks Widgets are buttons that you click and then they can pop up an activity. Bloom Activities are instead template pages that you insert in your book and configure in the Edit Tab.
The Quiz page in Bloom 4.6 is our first example of one of these. I’m in PNG this week where SIL has a technical team that intends to start creating them, and I expect to see at least a couple of simple activities (in addition to our existing Quiz one) in 2020. If you know of other entities willing to devote web programming know-how to creating activities, please have them get in touch.
I don’t know for sure if we’ll literally incorporate ibooks widgets (which are html+js+css just like Bloom Activities). It looks like it might be possible. I understand that mac-based programs exist that help non-programmers make those, so that would be a nice option.
It only took me a few days to understand the programme well enough to make a widget.
@HazelL, could you please send me one or more educational ibooks widgets that you’d like to see in Bloom? I know you just want the capability, but we need some samples to get started with.
thanks
jh
We hope to ship the ability to import these widgets in 4.8, the version we are working on now.
Update on this. Bloom 4.8 beta does have this feature. Please see release notes.
Hi John.
I noticed this feature, and I tried to import a widget but couldn’t do it. I haven’t had time to work on it since then, but when I get back to it I’ll give you the details .
Hazel