STORYBIRD
These photos are screenshots of my work on Storybird, providing an example of how students would use this tool for an assignment and providing further evidence of my own mastery of the tool. Click on the slideshow for a better look.
DESCRIPTION
I discovered Storybird on Web 2.0 for the Classroom. Storybird is a website for students and teachers to write and even publish stories. Teachers can create assignments for their students to turn in, or students can write their own picture books, chapter books, or poetry just for fun or to practice their writing skills. This tool offers lots of great illustrations for students to browse through and the artwork inspires them to create their own stories. All of the students’ stories can be submitted to the class library where they can read each other’s creations. Storybird is not only a platform for writing, but for reading as well. Students can browse through books that other people on the site have created and can read what interests them the most. This tool encourages student creativity and practice of reading and writing skills.
SUMMARY OF USAGE
Corresponding ALCOS Standard:
24.) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. [W.4.3]
To demonstrate how this tool would be used in the classroom, I created an assignment on Storybird for the students to write and submit a narrative story like the ALCOS standard describes. I chose an illustration and wrote a sample chapter as an example of student work. This activity would be aimed for fourth grade in English Language Arts, particularly for writing skills. This tool would be fun for students and would inspire them to write and create. Students can also read their peers’ writings and discuss their ideas and opinions of each other’s work in class. Beyond just narratives, students can write using any style or create books for any topic or class subject using Storybird.
BLOOM'S TAXONOMY
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Create: Students are the author of their own stories and produce original work that they created themselves.
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Evaluate: Students can read their peers’ work and evaluate, support, and critique their creations and writing skills.
TOOL SELECTION CRITERIA
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Free: It does not cost money to sign up for Storybird or to use all of its features.
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Easy to use: I found it easy to navigate the website and to create stories. This would be a fun and easy tool for students to utilize.
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Enhances student learning: This tool promotes student creativity, encourages students to read, and provides a platform to demonstrate writing skills.
ISTE-S STANDARDS
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Creativity and Innovation; Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
b) Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
Storybird allows students to use technology to create their own stories. Students must use creative thinking to develop a product, in this case, a narrative story. Students create their own original stories and can express themselves through their use of Storybird. This tool can also be used for any style of writing and could even be applied to subjects outside of language arts.