Five hundred years ago the world was hit by an enormous technological shift the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenburg in 1456. Five hundred years ago, the new presses spread like brushfire through Europe. Although people did not foresee it, the social order was about to be turned inside out. In less than 42 years after he invention of the printing press, fifteen million books were catapulted into the world. Where scholars had once traveled many miles to visit a library stocked with just a few hundred hand-written volumes, now ordinary people had access to millions of books. The scholar Sebastian Brant wrote just after 1500.In our time, thanks to the talent and industry of those from the Rhine, books have emerged in lavish numbers. A book that once would've belonged only to the rich nay, to a king can now be seen under a modest roof. There is nothing nowadays that our children ... fail to know. This sounds all too familiar today as parents and teachers grapple with a way to filter out inappropriate information students can easily access, and at the same time encourage students to avail themselves of useful and helpful information.Make not mistake, with the more recent advent of eBooks the speed and ease with which we all can access vast pools of knowledge has become even more powerful. And this innovation has the powerful potential to make learning more efficient and effective. If you are reading this blog, in all probability you are downloading eBooks to a mobile device and have discovered some of their advantages. These include the ability to search within the text, make notes, highlight, define, and link to the Internet all with the added bonus of portability.Other Links:Enhanced eBooks include video, audio, and High Definition photographs. If skillfully integrated into a well-written story fiction or nonfiction these enhancements can increase the readers understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the text.HOW WILL READERS BENEFIT? Enhanced books enrich and expand the wonder and pleasure of the reading with fascinating and insightful videos that include:1. Meet-the-author discussing what inspired her work. Click on the link below to see a sample video from The Nine Inheritors:2. Scenes, shot on location, which seamlessly integrated into the story, allow the reader to see and to hear what the characters are seeing and hearing (see examples below).3. Science based videos that enable the reader to more clearly visualize complex ecological and biological processes (see video).These videos are not simply additions but true enhancements that bring the book to life. They spark the reader s imagination without disrupting the natural flow of the story. In Claire Datnow s historical novel,the author talks about her personal connection to actual historical events, which inspired the characters and plot lines of her novel.In, eco mystery, science-based series for middle school, the videos flow seamlessly into the story, allowing readers to visualize scientific concepts, and also to see and to hear what the characters in the story are seeing and hearing.Want to experience enhanced books for yourself? Go to the iTunes store and download a FREE sample of the first three chapters of the historical novel,The Nine Inheritors: The Extraordinary Odyssey of a Family and Their Ancient Torah Scroll.In addition, you can download a Free sample of the Enhanced ebook,The Adventures of The Sizzling Six: The Living Treasure, the third book in the eco mystery series, and. All books are available as hardcopies, ebooks, and enhanced ebooks.
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Imagine zooming far above the Atlantic Ocean ... reading a fascinating book about the exploration of the ocean, when, magically, the author is sitting next to you, telling you what inspired him to write the book! This is no futuristic fantasy, it s exactly what I experienced when readingAtlantic,an Enhanced eBook by Simon Winchester. Watching and listening to the video was an Aha moment for me! It brought home the power of Enhanced eBooks and inspired me to begin creating my own. To get a clear view of this new development let s look at where we are right now.In just the last two years eBooks which most of you are familiar with have evolved into Enhanced eBooks that can expand and enrich your reading experience. As with any new technology, no doubt there will be missteps along the way, but this is an exciting burst of brilliance that illuminate the way forward for the evolving book revolution.To put things in historical perspective let s step back 500 years.