I used storybird.com!
I think it is wonderful. English teachers should try and get the students do their writing assignments by writing wonderful stories by making it related to the fantastic pictures. It is like an application that helps you create a children's storybook. The layout is just fantastic and I think it can get students to write creatively.
This is my story. http://storybird.com/books/the-value-of-hunger/
I wrote it in 40 minutes and stuck for another 30 minutes because I found it difficult to find pictures that suit my story.
That is the downside. When you selected an artist (for your pictures), you can only select the same artist's work for your next pages. I see the rationale, you would want the pictures to have the same style and theme. However, that means you need to fit your story to the pictures that are available which can be very limiting to your ideas.
So I figured that storybird.com is suitable for writing stories that are based on the picture. Not one that you want to write and to find pictures that suit with your tale.
As a teacher, I think I need to tell this the students before they get started. I don't want the limitations to pull the students' interest. At least when they are prepared of how it works, they can regulate their meta-thinking into the suitability of the storybird.com app.
Hi there
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments on Storybird - remember every tool has a certain purpose. You need to define what it is you want to achieve, what are your learning intentions and student outcomes and then find the tool that best fits the purpose. Sometimes we discover that after the fact - and that is ok but it is good to be aware of it.
What about some of these sites instead? Kevin Honeycutt lists these on his website:
http://kevinhoneycutt.org/
(under free tools you can use tomorrow)
Keep up the great work! Tracy