Virtual Book Launch- “A Boy Like Me”

From Townsville to Tasmania students and librarians participated in the virtual launch of Libby Hathorn’s latest picture book “A Boy Like Me”. The book is a very special picture book written in poetic form about peace and illustrated in a “painterly way”.Together with the book’s illustrator Bruce Whatley, Libby read the book to over 200 students from the Hutchens School, Bondi, Cameray, Curl Curl North, Gymea Bay, St Ives North and Woollhara Public Schools. Librarians from Townsville and the NSW Department of Education and Communities participated as well.

Using a combination of technologies a SMART Board, a SMART Document Camera, Bridgit software and Polycom Video Conferencing, Libby and Bruce were able to turn the pages of their book for students and librarians  to view across the nine sites.

Students and librarians were able to ask the author and illustrator the questions that mattered to them. Using the document camera the relevant pages of the text could be shared with all the sites to illustrate key points in the text to answer their questions.

Finally at the end of the discussion like all good book launches there was a book signing. Libby and Bruce picked up the pens from the SMART Board Multi-touch and signed the “shared book” together for all the students and librarians to see.

Look for other opportunities to video conference with Libby Hathorn an ambassador for the National Year of Reading and other authors on our video conferencing events calendar.

http://www.seeshareshape.com.au/share/VC/virtualexcursions.aspx