Children lead the way in digital publishing for World Book Day

World Book Day last week (1 March) saw local school children let their imaginations run wild with ideas for their own interactive eBook at a publishing workshop run by Cambridge University Press and the Cambridge Central Library.

World Book Day, now in its 15th year and marked in over 100 countries all over the world, is a celebration of reading which aims to help children explore the pleasure of books.

Year 6 pupils (aged 10-11) from St Lawrence's Primary School and Arbury Primary School in Cambridge attended the workshops run by Cambridge University Press staff, Lucy Killick, Lucie Coleridge, Christina Venditti and Jasmine Godfrey.

In preparation for the workshops the children had been discussing digital publishing in their classes at school, comparing print and digital books, and addressing questions such as: ‘Will we only be reading eBooks in ten years time?’ and ‘Do you think eBooks in the classroom are a good idea?’

At the workshops the children were asked to describe their ideas for a new eBook for primary school children that will help with one of their topic areas.  

Lucy Killick, Digital Operations Manager for Cambridge University Press, one of the volunteers running the workshop, said: “We encourage the children to let their imaginations run wild, even if the technology won’t allow their ideas to happen now, it might very well possible in five years’ time – there are no limits!”

The school children had the chance to learn about the publishing process by taking on the different roles within the process themselves, such as: author, editor, designer, project manager, product manager, marketing manager and sales manager.

Christina Venditti, Digital Publishing Product Manager for Cambridge University Press, also one of the volunteers running the workshop, said: “The focus is on digital publishing, with its huge ability and potential for interactive learning products, so we wanted the workshops to be interactive too as we know this is the best and most engaging way to learn.”

The children presented their product and publishing plan to ‘the board’, made up of their teachers and the other groups of children, and they all received a certificate for their hard work.

Cllr David Harty, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Learning, said: “These workshops provide a valuable time for children to come to the library, surrounded by books and digital learning resources, and explore with Cambridge University Press the imagination and the work that goes into them. It is fantastic to see all the ideas spark between the children and to catch a glimpse of what they think the future might hold for reading and learning.”

Cambridge University Press supports the Cambridge Central Library and educational charities throughout the year in a variety of ways, including donating books, offering advice on projects, and staff volunteers. Last year Cambridge University Press staff gave 1,310 volunteer hours to local educational projects and already this year 485 volunteer hours have been committed to so far.

The Cambridge University Press bookshop on Trinity Street will be accepting the World Book Day vouchers, sent to schools and nurseries by World Book Day, for money off their titles.

 

About Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Dedicated to excellence, its purpose is to further the University's objective of advancing knowledge, education, learning, and research.

Its extensive peer-reviewed publishing lists comprise 45,000 titles covering academic research, professional development, over 300 research journals, school-level education, English language teaching and bible publishing.

Playing a leading role in today's international market place, Cambridge University Press has more than 50 offices around the globe, and it distributes its products to nearly every country in the world.

For more information, go to: www.cambridge.org

About Cambridge Central Library

Cambridge Central Library is run by Cambridgeshire County Council and is based in the Grand Arcade, in the heart of the City of Cambridge. As well as the Central Library, Cambridgeshire County Council also runs 32 libraries, four mobile library vehicles, a range of centrally-based services such as ‘Your library online’, which is a collection of online library resources such as journals and eBooks, and they are partners in ten ‘Library Access Points’.

For more information, go to: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/libraries

 

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For further information, please contact Vicky Westmore, Communications Officer at Cambridge University Press.

Telephone: +44 (0)1223 326194
Email:
press@cambridge.org

 



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