Reading is not just decoding words and sentences. It is mentally modeling the situation in the story and creating a movie in your head.
- Inventor, Glenn Smith, Ph.D.
The iMapBook concept was created by Dr. Glenn Smith, who is an Associate Professor in the Instructional Technology Program, College of Education at the University of South Florida. He conducts research on how interaction with digital technology leverages visuospatial learning.
Dr. Smith holds a Ph.D. in Educational Media & Computers and master’s and bachelor degrees
in Computer Science. He has worked as a computer programmer in Hollywood, California
developing computer graphics software for television commercials and opening segments for
television shows, such as Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, for Boeing Computer Services
and for Microsoft Corporation.
Since 2007, Dr. Smith's research team at the University of South Florida has developed iMapBooks. The iMapBook group is a limited democracy and depends on team members to suggest ideas, organize and provide a critical sounding board. The group includes game designers, instructional designers, teachers, programmers and graphical artists and depends on their diverse talents. The iMapBook is completely new. There is a great creative esprit de corps. Sometimes meetings get exuberantly chaotic, but they try to gently steer things back on track, harnessing their collective creativity.
Dr. Glenn Smith IT Home Page
Patent Pending
U.S. Patent application for the Interactive Map Book was filed by the University of South Florida Division of Patents & Licensing for the Interactive Map Book developed by Dr. Glenn G. Smith, “A U.S. Utility Patent Application regarding your above-titled invention was filed March 31, 2008.”