eBooks

What are the features of eBooks on mySecondTeacher?

There are several features of Alston eBooks on mySecondTeacher.

You can search for a specific term or phrase across the entire book.
You can bookmark and write personal notes.
You can highlight a certain section or paragraph and write your notes.
You can listen to a real human voice narrate the whole page or paragraph.
You can view the pages of the eBook as a single page or double page.
You can zoom in to any page for a better view.
Teachers can view the Access Report of his/her students’ eBooks to find out who has read and who hasn’t.
Teachers also have access to a “Show/Hide Answer” feature from within relevant pages of the eBooks.

Video for Teachers

As a student, how can I access eBooks and Bookmark Pages?

Click on the Learn/Revise tab on your dashboard.
Select your Subject from the dropdown menu.
Select eBooks from the Assets dropdown menu.
Select your eBook from the list.

You can also access your eBooks from the Subjects button on the homepage.

To bookmark the page:

Click on a ribbon icon on the top left of the page.
Type in the comment and click on Bookmark.

As a teacher, how can I access eBooks?

Yes, you can!

Click on the Teaching Resources tab on your Dashboard
Select your Subject from the dropdown menu.
Select eBooks from the Assets dropdown menu.
Select the eBook from the list.

Can I search the entire book for a phrase or a term?

Yes, you can!

Select the eBook
On the left-hand side, you will see an interactive tab. Click on the Search sign.
Type the term/phrase you want to search on the search bar.
The search result will be displayed below the search bar.

Can I highlight important portions of the eBooks?

Yes, you can!

On the eBook, select the word/term, phrase, sentence or whole paragraph you want to highlight.
Select the colour you want to set.
You can also add notes.

Where can I find the bookmarks and notes of the eBook?

While on the eBooks, you can see an interactive tab on the left-hand side of the screen. You can access your bookmarks or notes by clicking on the respective icons on the tab.

By clicking on the respective Bookmark or the note, you can visit the bookmarked page or the highlighted section.

Can I listen to narration of the eBook?

Yes, you can!

Simply go to the page you want to listen to on the ebook

Then, click on the dictate icon available on the left side of the ebook in the features bar.
After clicking on the “dictate on” option you will be able to play either the whole page or certain parts of the eBook page.

Note: The dictate feature may not be available in all eBooks.

How can I change the page view?

On the left side of the eBook, on the features bar.

Then the user can choose between the below given three options

You can switch your view to:

Full window mode (Full Screen)
Single page view
Two-page view

How can I use zoom feature on the eBook?

You can zoom into a paragraph or a diagram on our eBooks. To zoom you can

use your fingers for pinch-to-zoom gesture on the touchpad of your MacBook or laptop,
or double click on the Magic Mouse, if you are using one
or use the following key combination on your keyboard if pinch-to-zoom is not available:
- on Mac : Press ‘Command(⌘)’ and ’=’
- on desktop PC. : Press ‘Ctrl’ and ’=’

Please watch the video for examples:

Why is it that sometimes, the text on the eBook pages look like they are at the incorrect place?

This is likely because a default “zoom” level has been set in your browser, and this default value is above or below 100%.

For best results, please set your default zoom level at 100%, and if you wish to zoom into the pages, use the “pinch-to-zoom” gesture. This will ensure that you see the book in the way it’s meant to be viewed. If pinch-to-zoom is not available then

on a Mac, double tap on the magic mouse or ‘CMD(⌘)’ and ’=’ on your keyboard or
on desktop PC, if pinch-to-zoom is not available, use the magnification tool by pressing ‘Ctrl’ and ’+’ your keyboard.

Please refer to the following video for examples: