 |
| From the cover of my Storybird book |
This week I explored a number of website dedicated to digital storytelling. My ultimate goal is to find a job in an elementary library, so I looked at these sites with elementary students in mind.
Storybird
I created a quick little story about life with twins. You can find it here. The program was very easy to use. You log in, pick artwork, drag the artwork to the blank page, and add the words. The most confusing part was what to do with it at the end. I could find my finished product on my homepage, but it took a minute to figure out how to publish it. I would use this with students across all grade levels as a brainstorming tool and then a publishing tool. It would be difficult to come up with a great story to match the picture if you write the story first. The students could look through the pictures to brainstorm a good story. They could even put their pictures onto the pages in the order that they want them and then write the story. Younger children could do this in a group setting for a writer's workshop mini lesson on how to craft a story. Older students (probably 2nd or 3rd grade and up) could use this program across the curriculum. In looking around on the site, I found a variety of stories, from simple color books to well crafted coming of age stories aimed at young adult readers.
PicLit
Compared to Storybird, PicLits is a little easier to use. You choose an image. Suggested words are given for each picture that can be dragged and dropped onto the image or you can choose freestyle mode and write your own. However, it was a challenge to decide WHICH words to put with the picture. I think that this resources is fantastic for sparking imagination, it would be hard for new readers and writers to get the most out of this resources. Perhaps I will change my mind when PicLits allows users to upload their own pictures. That feature would make this site much more accessible to elementary students.
DomoNation.com: To the Library by mrsjem
Like it? Create your own at DomoNation.com. It's free and fun!
Domo Animate
The final site on the list that would work with elementary students is Domo Animate. This is a drag and drop site. While I was searching around, I found videos that talked talked about no bullying, Internet safety, to a welcome to 4th grade video. The drop and drag features, combined with limited text make this site easy to use for all students in an elementary school. Even kindergartners can create a video without words. Older students can make videos to share the content they are learning in the classroom and the library.
Domo Animate and Storybird are the two sites that I liked the best this week. I would use them differently in the classroom or library, but they are both good for elementary school students.
Sweet story about twins.
ReplyDeleteJessica you could assign an QR code to this short video about the library as an advertisement or hook to entice students to the library. You could post these around the building the first couple of weeks of school.
ReplyDelete