No Nā Hale: Developing an Interactive iBook to Promote Learning for the Hawaiian Immersion Lower Elementary Classroom

While Hawaiian immersion classrooms have been equipped with 21st century technologies, there continues to be a void in interactive, open-source, digital resources in the Hawaiian language. This paper reports on the analysis, design and development of a Hawaiian language interactive e-book (iBook). The published No Nā Hale book was developed into an iBook using the authoring software program, iBooks Author. Interactive multimedia widgets were created and embedded into No Nā Hale to supplement the book’s content. An animated and narrated introduction video, interactive glossary, audio read-aloud feature, multiple image galleries, an embedded Google survey, review quizzes and audio help features were strategically integrated within the iBook through a series of prototype iterations. A usability study was conducted to evaluate the satisfaction and effectiveness of a Hawaiian language iBook for learning with second grade Hawaiian Immersion public school students. Based on feedback, Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning principles and the Universal Design for Learning methods, various additions and improvements were made to the prototype including: page numbers, a user-guide, translated widget titles, an additional review question quiz and photo captions. The progression of No Nā Hale from a paper format to an interactive iBook format will be discussed and how each interactive component promotes learning.