One technology that seems to have revolutionized the education is e-books.
This is one thing that has made the reach and accessibility so easy for all. People have incorporated the use of e-books all over the globe. Also, publishing books have been made easy. In this post I am going to introduce you to an awesome tool that will take care of all your concerns regarding the e-book hassle.
Kotobee is an ebook authoring and publishing suite sponsored by the UNDP. They have 4 main products that complement each other. These tools are:
Kotobee Author: Create interactive ebooks with this award-winning ebook creator and editor. Export to web, desktop, and mobile in more than 10 different formats.
Kotobee Library: Create branded library apps with full user access control. Manage through a powerful control panel and API.
Kotobee Cloud: Connect your ebook to the cloud and control user access. Integrate with external systems.
Kotobee Reader: Provide your users with interactive reading tools, through a standalone or embedded reader.
Pain Points/Needs:
Adaptive Learning; Audio Content; Book Search; Bookmarking; Calculators; Charts; Classroom Management; Communication Utilities; Computer Programming; Computer Utilities; curation; Data Portability; Diagram Creators; Digital Storybooks; Digital Storytelling Creators; Digital Textbooks; Document Library; Document Readers; Educational Search; Exercise, Quiz & Poll Creators; Exercises & Worksheets; Flashcards; Game-Based Learning; How-To Guides; Individualized Education Program; Interactive Project Creators; Interactive Simulations; Language Learning; Marketplace; Music Practice; Newsletters; Note Taking; Online Courses; Open Educational Resources; Open Source Software; Portfolio Creators; Presentation Creators; Presentation Viewers; Publishing; Question & Answer; Student Assessments; Teacher Evaluations; Test Prep; Text Editors; Timeline Creators; To-Do Lists; Tutoring; Video Content
Platform:
The software is compatible with LMS, Chromebook, Mac, Windows, Kindle, Android, iPhone, iPad, Kobo and HTML5.
Walkthrough:
Users simply have to mention the name and email-id to get the free license. After registering with the platform, the user gets an email with serial number and link to download the software. You can download the software for either Mac or Windows. Although, Kotobee Author runs without requesting a serial number. But, some important features will be locked until you enter your serial number. To unlock those features, click on the button labeled “Enter your serial..” located at the top right corner of the window and enter your serial number and you are good to go.
The video below will help you understand the user interface of the tool:
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ckNjPZL7gU” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
Distinctive Features:
For K-12:
– Use videos, interactive images, and widgets to engage students.
– Display ebooks on web, desktop, or tablets.
– Distribute ebooks individually or collectively within an internal library app.
– Collect reports for students’ activities using Tin-Can API.
– Encourage students to learn to create interactive ebooks at an early age (bulk licenses available).
For Highered:
– Enhance the learning experience with interactive textbooks.
– Distribute ebooks individually or collectively within an education library app.
– Integrate with your existing LMS (e.g. Moodle) and other educational content.
– Collect reports for students’ activities using Tin-Can API.
– Inspire teachers to distribute course materials as ebooks (bulk licenses available).
For Book Publishing:
– Create elegant interactive ebooks easily from your PDF or Word documents.
– Host your book online instantly, or export as a desktop or mobile app.
– Export to EPUB and Kindle format, for wider exposure.
– Monetize by selling online access to your ebooks.
For Corporate Training:
– Create ebooks rich with video and audio for each training course.
– Organize your course ebooks into a custom library app.
– Monetize by selling course library access to your customers.
– Brand your ebook apps or library app using your corporate identity.
– Design responsive tests and examinations for your trainees.
For Educational Institutes:
– Schools using LMS can integrate the software within the LMS only. Display interactive ebooks inside your LMS using SCORM. Collect grades, score reports and activities happening inside any ebook. As of now the supported LMSs are Moodle, BlackBoard, Desire2Learn and Schoology.
– Organize your ebooks into a branded library app with your institute’s name. Distribute the app natively on mobile or host it on your institute’s website.
– Measure your students’ progress with responsive quizes and exams of different sorts. Provide immediate results to your students, or deliver the results to a teacher’s email address.
– Deliver academic information through various means, such as video, audio, galleries, and 3D. Explore unlimited possibilities with HTML5 widgets, compatible with iBooks widgets.
Pricing:
The company says that Kotobee Reader is always free with the basic features. However, Kotobee Author is freemium software with the basic plan priced at $100 and the premium sitting at $300. Each mobile book app export costs $30. Kotobee Library pricing ranges from $500/year for up to 10 books, up to $5000/year for unlimited book hosting and Kotobee Cloud is priced at $10/book/month or $100/book/year.
Usability:
– Use videos, interactive images, and widgets to engage students.
– Display ebooks on web, desktop, or tablets.
– Distribute ebooks individually or collectively within an internal library app.
– Collect reports for students’ activities using Tin-Can API.
– Encourage students to learn to create interactive ebooks at an early age.
– Enhance the learning experience with interactive textbooks.
– Distribute ebooks individually or collectively within an education library app.
– Integrate with your existing LMS (e.g. Moodle) and other educational content.
– Collect reports for students’ activities using Tin-Can API.
– Inspire teachers to distribute course materials as ebooks.
– Create ebooks rich with video and audio for each training course.
– Organize your course ebooks into a custom library app.
– Monetize by selling course library access to your students.
– Monetize by selling online access to your ebooks.
– Brand your ebook apps or library app using your corporate identity.
– Design responsive tests and examinations for your students.
– Create elegant interactive ebooks easily from your PDF or Word documents.
– Host your book online instantly, or export as a desktop or mobile app.
– Export to EPUB and Kindle format, for wider exposure.
Our Review:
This is one of the best tools full of utility that I’ve come across in a long time. With so many features and great ease of use, Kotobee is highly recommended for educators and students who have flair of writing. Started back in 2014, the tool has already been a winner of the Academics’ Choice 2016 Smart Media Award and showcases some of the best players like University of New England, University of Minnesota First Nations Education Council and more on the portfolio. The extensive features to fulfill every author’s need make the tool a perfect pick.
Check out some of their case studies to know more and share your experiences with us.
