Storybird: A Web 2.0 Tool
The Tool
Storybird is a Web 2.0 tool used to create online picture books found at www.storybird.com. This tool allows users to invite peers to collaboratively create beautifully illustrated stories with ease. It is a Language Arts teacher’s dream tool. The ease of Storybird is incredible. This platform is as simple as drag-and-drop. Covers can be auto generated or customized. Art work and pictures are pre-installed from Illustrators all over the world. I choose to design a story with Irisz Agacs’s artwork, an illustrator living in Budapest, Hungary. In order to determine the ease of use, I decided to create my own Storybird story titled, I Feel Small.
I feel Small on Storybird
One of my favorite aspects of this site is that students can sign up without their own email. They have a kids’ sign up tab, which requires an adult’s email, so I can easily use my school email in order for students to sign up in the classroom. This is a rare find amongst Web 2.0 tools and the World Wide Web, which reaffirms Storybird's commitment to kids.
The Assignment
One of the ways my READ 180 students invest in their community each year is to read to first grade students in our district once a month. This models the importance of reading to the younger students while allowing my middle school students a safe environment to read out loud. This year I want to increase the creativity of this assignment by having students create their own book to share with the first grade students.
Step1: Middle school students will select an already created story from the Storybird library to read to a first grade student. This will allow the middle school students to become familiar with the platform and the different art available on Storybird.
Step 2: Students will work in pairs and create their own unique story to teach an important social moral. Using the story engine students can be inspired through already created pictures and art found on the “story art” page. Students will use literary devices such as alliteration and repetition to enforce the main idea or theme in their story, thus enforcing their own understanding of theme, alliteration and repetition.
Stacie - I LOVE your assignment idea! What a great way to get your middle school students more invested in the experience - have them create the book they are going to share! I really think reading to younger students will be enhanced by using Storybird!
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ReplyDeleteI love your book and am so glad you shared this site with me! I can't wait to use it with my kindergartners in music class! :)
I love your idea of having the students create books to share with the younger grades! I think it will excite them even more to read to the students. I already read yours, Abbie's and Kathy's Storybird books to my nephews. They loved it!!! They kept telling me to read it again and again and again!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME book and ideas! I agree with all - this is an incredible idea and your middle schools students will love doing it. Character education might be another set of topics for your student's books.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, the story that uses pictures with words enhances retention and that is exactly why this classroom will be excited by its usage. I have already used this web tool beacuse of you introducing this to me. Well Done. Now Ima check out this video everyone's talking about.
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