Please help us to improve our Hispanic Heritage iBooks series by providing feedback on the draft copies of the first five titles in this series from the National Park Service. You must have at least skimmed one of the titles in this series to participate in the survey.

You can download the free iBooks at: http://etc.usf.edu/nps/ibooks/

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* A. Select the role that best describes you:

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* B. Indicate your familiarity with each of the five titles in the series.

  I have not viewed it I have skimmed it I have read it I have utilized it in a classroom
Californio to American: A Study in Cultural Change
Castillo de San Marcos
Castolon: A Meeting Place of Two Cultures
Gran Quivira: A Blending of Cultures in a Pueblo Indian Village
San Antonio Missions: Spanish Influence in Texas
The following survey consists of 35 questions in nine sections: text, format, activities, inclusion, accessibility, standards alignment, teacher support, future development, overall comments. Most of the questions were adapted from the instructional materials adoption criteria of various state departments of education. We’ve also included opportunities to make optional comments if you like.

If you encounter a question that you don’t have enough information to answer or that doesn’t apply for some reason, just skip it and continue with the remainder of the survey. You may use the comment boxes located at the end of each section to clarify any of your responses from that section.
Section 1: TEXT
Background information:
The reading level of the main secondary source reading passages in the iBooks has been leveled to grade 10 in most cases.
The reading level of the primary sources ranges from grades 7 through 12.

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* 1. The reading level is appropriate and consistent for interest and ability of high school students.

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* 2. The text includes a sufficient variety of primary source materials, documents, graphs, maps, charts, and other non-print media to help students identify important ideas and concepts in the content.

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* 3. The text allows the integration of history, economics, geography, and civics, and promotes interdisciplinary instruction (e.g. English Language Arts, Science, Mathematics).

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* 4. Appropriate vocabulary is introduced and repeated throughout the text.

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* 5. The iBooks provide opportunities for students to investigate issues that are interconnected (e.g., colonialism, poverty, human rights, environment, energy, safety, immigration, conflict).

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* 6. The end-of-chapter questions reinforce the most important concepts from the chapter.

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* 7. The end-of-chapter questions span a good mixture of difficulty levels ranging from simple recall to extended thinking.

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* Optional comments on the TEXT of the iBooks:

Section 2: FORMAT
Background information: Each of the five iBooks is arranged according to the same outline:
  1. Introduction (“Setting the Stage” and a timeline)
  2. Location (maps and virtual reality widgets)
  3. Secondary sources (3-5 reading passages with questions)
  4. Primary sources (various texts, photos, drawings, etc.)
  5. Activities (3-6 student activities)
  6. Appendices (using the iBook, teacher notes, links to supporting digital content, credits)

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* 8. The content is arranged logically.

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* 9. There is an appropriate ratio of text to non-text elements (maps, photos, drawings, VRs, etc.).

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* 10. The iBook layout is visually attractive.

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* 11. The format engages students.

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* 12. The format assists student understanding of content.

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Optional comments on the FORMAT of the iBooks:

Section 3: ACTIVITIES
Background information: Each iBook contains an activity section with three to seven suggested student activities.

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* 13. Activities include interdisciplinary connections.

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* 14. The range of suggested activities supports diverse student abilities, interests, and learning styles.

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* 15. Activities provide opportunities for technology integration.

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* 16. Activities provide for the development of 21st Century skills such as collaboration, creative thinking, and problem solving.

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* 17. Activities include opportunities to use maps, graphs, media, and web-based sources to acquire and apply new information.

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* 18. Activities encourage students to locate existing social studies content information (especially primary source documents), to interpret meaning, and then create original communication.

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Optional comments on the ACTIVITIES of the iBooks:

Section 4: INCLUSION

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* 19. The iBooks accurately portray the ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural and racial diversity of American society to the extent appropriate for the given topic.

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* 20. The iBooks provide models, selections, activities and opportunities for responses that promote respect for all people regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, age, gender, socio-economic status, or intellectual or physical abilities.

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* 21. The iBooks avoid stereotyping.

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Optional comments on INCLUSION within the iBooks:

Section 5: ACCESSIBILITY
Background information: The Hispanic Heritage iBooks have the following features:
  • VoiceOver reads aloud any selected text.
  • All non-text elements (photos, illustrations, etc.) have alt descriptions that can also be read aloud with VoiceOver.
  • Most images can be enlarged by tapping or reverse pinching. 
  • A built-in dictionary defines any word.
  • A purpose-built glossary defines and illustrates important terms specific to the title.

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* 22. The iBook features listed above meet our local standards for use with students who are visually impaired, English language learners, or have other special needs.

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Optional comments about the ACCESSIBILITY features of the iBooks:

Section 6: STANDARDS ALIGNMENT
Background information: 
  • This iBooks series will be freely available for use in all fifty states. Therefore, the series is intentionally not aligned to any one state’s specific standards.
  • Obviously, a single iBook about one specific location is not intended to meet ALL of the standards of any one discipline such as History, so we ask whether the iBook makes a “useful contribution” toward meeting the standards.

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* 23. The iBooks make a useful contribution toward meeting the HISTORY standards that are used locally.

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* 24. The iBooks make a useful contribution toward meeting the GEOGRAPHY standards that are used locally.

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* 25. The iBooks make a useful contribution toward meeting the CIVICS & GOVERNMENT standards that are used locally.

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* 26. The iBooks make a useful contribution toward meeting the ECONOMICS standards that are used locally.

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Section 7: TEACHER SUPPORT
Background information: Currently there is no teacher edition for these iBooks. There is only a short “For the Teacher” appendix in each iBook. This appendix gives a list of objectives, the reading level of each section, and a short introduction to selected features of the iBook.

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* 27. Please select the statement that best represents your preference for teacher support:

Section 8: FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SERIES
Background information: The National Park Service plans to produce five additional iBook titles in this Hispanic Heritage series during the coming year. The suggested topics below were compiled from the NPS Latino Heritage Travel Itinerary and the Teaching with Historic Places series.

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* 28. Please check FIVE TOPICS that you would like to see added to the series next.

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* 29. If you have additional titles that you would recommend for the series, add them to the box below. Please keep in mind that a) the topic should relate to Hispanic Heritage in an area that is now a part of the United States and b) that the topic should have a tie-in to a specific location in keeping with the National Park Service’s emphasis on place-based education. (The location need not be a National Park.)

Section 9: OVERALL COMMENTS

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* 30. What are the outstanding features (if any) of the Hispanic Heritage iBook series?

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* 31. What are the shortcomings (if any) of the Hispanic Heritage iBook series?

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* 32. Please check all grade levels for which you believe this series (in its current form) would be appropriate.

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* 33. The intended audience for this series was high school students. Numerous reviewers have suggested creating versions of these books more suitable for younger grades by abridging the content and reducing the reading level of the passages. Do you see a need for versions appropriate for use at lower grade levels? 

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* 34. If you answered "Yes" to the previous question, please indicate what grade level(s) you think these books would be valuable at and add any thoughts you may have about how they should be modified for use at your recommended grade level(s).

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* 35.  Please check any of the following ways that you or other faculty at your school are likely to use this series of iBooks:

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Optional comments regarding a particular title, the series in general, or anything we failed to ask:

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* Thank you for your time and interest! Your responses will be carefully considered as we make final edits to the first five iBooks and move forward with additional titles.

If you would like to be notified when titles in this series are officially released by the National Park Service, please enter your email address here:

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