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HOTBOOK

HOTBOOK
«The Great Wipe hath irrayzed much of world culcha, butta few bits of licheracha haveth bn found – pleez help mi choose most bestest 2 exxibit»
- the curator of a history of the book, 3010
This message is being beamed from the future to secondary students in the UK via the HOTBOOK, a ground breaking and free digital resource created by if:book.
The HOTBOOK aims to ignite a passion for literature (past, present and future) by introducing and exploring fragments of great works and presenting them in a way that will excite an audience that is more at ease with an electronic game or gadget than a book and with people who spend time social networking rather than reading.
HOTBOOK is a free digital literature project for Years 8 and 9, designed to run over 6 weeks. Teachers can download the free software and access 40 short pieces of digital literature (or ‘litch bits’) including poems, play scripts, extracts from novels and non-fiction. Each week they release a new batch of ‘litch bits’ for students, which starts with a message from the future by the mysterious Curator.
The software is a self-contained social network. Once the HOTBOOK is installed on a school system, teachers and students can log on to read and comment on each litch bit. The accompanying Anthology and Teachers’ Guide includes texts of all the litch bits, with classroom activities for each one.
VISIT THE IFSOFLO NING TO REGISTER AND DOWNLOAD THE FREE SOFTWARE AND TEACHERS’ GUIDE
‘These are a fantastically creative set of multi modal resources with which to deliver the rich experience of both language and literature at the heart of the revised curriculum at KS3.′

- Ellie Clarke, Head of English at Queensbridge School
In the HOTBOOK poems and extracts from plays, novels, non-fiction texts and broadcasts are presented as short films, Flash animations, podcasts and HTML web pages. They include Macbeth’s “Tomorrow, and tomorrow” speech as stop frame animation, Christina Rossetti’s poem “Spring” performed by cartoon rabbits, a rap version of Chaucer’s Prologue, an animated version of Benjamin Zephaniah’s “Talking Turkeys” and a story of computer gamers by cult sci-fi author Cory Doctorow. The HOTBOOK also includes rebooted classics and new commissions from award-winning contemporary writers such as Daljit Nagra, Kate Pullinger and Naomi Alderman, who were asked to write examples of the literature of the future.
Funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the HOTBOOK is conceived as a way to help less confident readers stay interested in literature at an age when many young people start to switch off from books. We are very grateful to Everythingweb.net for generously providing hosting support.
The HOTBOOK has been piloted in three schools and thoroughly evaluated by the Research Team at Booktrust.
if:book also runs CPD workshops for schools –CLICK HERE for more details
Schools booking for a workshop can also receive a free, live online chat with the HOTBOOK Curator

when_you_are_old_future

«The Great Wipe hath irrayzed much of world culcha, butta few bits of licheracha haveth bn found – pleez help mi choose most bestest 2 exxibit»
- the curator of a history of the book 2/2/3010

This message is being beamed from the future to secondary students in the UK via HOTBOOK, a ground breaking and free digital resource created by if:book.


HOTBOOK aims to ignite a passion for literature (past, present and future) by introducing and exploring fragments of great works and presenting them in a way that will excite an audience that is more at ease with an electronic game or gadget than a book and with people who spend time social networking rather than reading.


HOTBOOK is a free digital literature project for Years 8 and 9, designed to run over 6 weeks. Teachers can download the free software and access 40 short pieces of digital literature (or ‘litch bits’) including poems, play scripts, extracts from novels and non-fiction. Each week they release a new batch of ‘litch bits’ for students, which starts with a message from the future by the mysterious Curator.


The software is a self-contained social network. Once the HOTBOOK is installed on a school system, teachers and students can log on to read and comment on each litch bit. The accompanying Anthology and Teachers’ Guide includes texts of all the litch bits, with classroom activities for each one.


VISIT THE IFSOFLO NING TO REGISTER AND DOWNLOAD THE FREE SOFTWARE AND TEACHERS’ GUIDE


‘These are a fantastically creative set of multi modal resources with which to deliver the rich experience of both language and literature at the heart of the revised curriculum at KS3.′

- Ellie Clarke, Head of English at Queensbridge School


In the HOTBOOK poems and extracts from plays, novels, non-fiction texts and broadcasts are presented as short films, Flash animations, podcasts and HTML web pages. They include Macbeth’s “Tomorrow, and tomorrow” speech as stop frame animation, Christina Rossetti’s poem “Spring” performed by cartoon rabbits, a rap version of Chaucer’s Prologue, an animated version of Benjamin Zephaniah’s “Talking Turkeys” and a story of computer gamers by cult sci-fi author Cory Doctorow.

HOTBOOK also includes rebooted classics and new commissions from award-winning contemporary writers such as Daljit Nagra, Kate Pullinger and Naomi Alderman, who were asked to write examples of the literature of the future.


Funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, HOTBOOK is conceived as a way to help less confident readers stay interested in literature at an age when many young people start to switch off from books. We are very grateful to Everythingweb.net for generously providing hosting support.


HOTBOOK has been piloted in three schools and thoroughly evaluated by the Research Team at Booktrust.


if:book also runs CPD workshops for schools –CLICK HERE for more details

Schools booking for a workshop can also receive a free, live online chat with the HOTBOOK Curator


9 Comments »

  • Tweets that mention future of the book » HOTBOOK -- Topsy.com said:

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Teachers TV, DigitalKati. DigitalKati said: Drinking coffee and promoting the @ifbook HOTBOOK. Sign up at: http://futureofthebook.org.uk/index.php/hotbook/ [...]

    # 22 December 2009 at 12:07 pm
  • Wave, Twovel, Hotbook « Kati Rynne said:

    [...] Wave as a tool for collaboration. I’m also busy marketing the Future of the Book’s Hotbook resource. Over the next few weeks, English teachers from two secondary schools will be workshopping [...]

    # 2 January 2010 at 9:06 pm
  • dave t said:

    So we send you details and then what happens? When do we get the hotbook etc? Why not add such info to the website?

    # 3 January 2010 at 6:05 pm
  • uberVU - social comments said:

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by DigitalKati: Drinking coffee and promoting the @ifbook HOTBOOK. Sign up at: http://futureofthebook.org.uk/index.php/hotbook/…

    # 15 January 2010 at 8:48 am
  • if:book HOTBOOK launched « Chris Joseph said:

    [...] http://futureofthebook.org.uk/index.php/hotbook/ [...]

    # 2 February 2010 at 5:41 pm
  • Epublishing and novel-writing « Kati Rynne said:

    [...] If:book’s Hotbook was launched this month. My pre-launch online marketing campaign for this resource has resulted in an unexpected volume of interest; hundreds of schools have signed up to receive the Hotbook. [...]

    # 12 February 2010 at 12:17 pm
  • Novels: Teaching and performing « Kati Rynne said:

    [...] Hotbook continues to grow in popularity; more than 500 schools have signed up to receive it. I led the [...]

    # 1 March 2010 at 6:24 pm
  • BS said:

    I’ve downloaded the software but when I click on the desktop shortcut it just opens up the website rather than taking me to a log-in screen. Any idea what the problem might be?

    # 15 April 2010 at 1:52 pm
  • Anne Draper said:

    Hi,

    My county council’s computers will not allow access to a social networking site so I cannot download the software – any chance you could give access to it from here so that I can use it?

    I will be using it with adults so it might be interesting for you.

    Thanks

    Anne

    # 5 August 2010 at 3:41 pm

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