Carving Digital Education Change
For some reason, I think that I have a lot to say. I know that education and tech content is in demand, so I, and everyone with a blog continue churning it out. Often I’ve looked back at what I’ve posted, and asked myself, “Wouldn’t all of this—together—be nice in a book?” It’s not an ego thing, it’s more looking at the ideas and thinking that they were really good—wonder how many looked—or noticed.
All posts, good or bad, get buried under a pile of new ones. In a week, those brilliant thoughts you’ve had are gone—hidden by the curtain labeled archives. How many of you have favorite posts, that you think earth shattering, and they only get read by a few? I’m optimistically thinking there are more viewers out there ready to read our ramblings.
Obviously, book publishers aren’t knocking down my door, or yours—most likely. So, why not take control and create an eBook? I know that there are a lot of possibilities for doing this out there, but Amazon seems to make it a lot easier to get there—free. If you have a lot of content, like I do, and can rework it into a book, or have an idea for a book, this may be the place for you. And if you have a shorter thought to argue, “Kindle Singles” idea might be the thing. After thinking about all this, I took some time to launch my own eBook, Carving Digital Education Change. It took a little time, was a bit exciting, and delivered something I feel good about sharing. Maybe it’s something for you as well.
Carving Digital Education Change is a way of presenting my ideas to a larger audience in a different package. Here’s the description, so you’ll get what I mean: Education doesn’t always require technology, but it needs to be part of the solution. This book will give specific and understandable examples for integrating technology into classrooms and districts. Sharing it as professional development, with your colleagues, teaching staff, or at faculty meetings, will spark discussion and energize projects. It’s a common sense digital education without a tech prerequisite. Administrators and parents will benefit from the topics covered, too. There’s something for everyone in Carving Digital Education Change. Educators looking for a digital chalk-pusher mentor have found it.
Note: Digital Chalk Pushing Education Change is the eBook sequel to Carving Digital Education Change. Both eBooks can be found in the Kindle Store at Amazon.
Digital Chalk Pushing Education Change
To get from author to publisher and then to retailer isn’t a long journey, and is almost seamless. You’ll need an amazon login, which is just an e-mail address and password. There are some fill-ins to answer, but some are just optional. It really takes only moments. Next, you need to visit the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) site. You’ll find out all about their free publishing that could get your eBook into the Amazon store with 12-24 hours. There are some FAQs there, as well as a how to video, which I highly recommend—so look for it.
You can also keep track of purchases and lending library borrows. While I spent some time working to get my content into my eBook Carving Digital Education Change, I saw this first attempt as a sort of experiment, too. I discovered that there really isn’t anything to it. For me, most of the creation was just searching and uploading my cover image, and then my book, written as a .doc. There are other options; MS Word worked for me, but if doing some HTML is your thing, you can. I didn’t want to mess it up on the first attempt, especially with content I loved and really wanted to share. I think next time, I’ll do a little more with the cover, and images within, using my PhotoShop skills, but all in all, I really liked the results. I think it posted to the Amazon store within 12 hours—after their checking period, but the initial upload was quick.
I priced Carving Digital Education Change and Digital Chalk Pushing Education Change at $0.99, but there’s plenty of free borrowing and sharing that can happen. Amazon takes a percentage, but for me, the choice was worth it. This is not about money-making, it’s about sharing my content, so it can be read on a train, or on the sofa, using most eReading and computing devices—Kindle, iPad, Mac, smartphone, etc. Taking what you say and write to another level is something we can all do, today. I hope you’ll check out my eBooks Carving Digital Education Change and Digital Chalk Pushing Education Change at Amazon, and I hope to check out yours there, too.
Additional Note: A friend of mine (@indigo196), who blogs and tweets frequently about Open Source solutions, shared this additional free self-publishing open source link with me: http://scribaebookmake.sourceforge.net/.
Ken Royal is a teacher/education and education technology blogger/reporter, video interviewer, podcaster, education event news commentator with 34 years of classroom/school and instructional technology experience. His teaching accomplishments include: 4-time district teacher of the year, Connecticut Middle School Teacher of the Year, and Bill and Melinda Gates award for Technology School of Excellence. Read more of Ken’s work at Royal Reportshttp://www.royalreports.com.
