Blog #6: Digital Storytelling
Write brief reviews about the two tools you used to create short lessons with this week. How could these tools be used by teachers AND students? How could they be incorporated into a class?
1. storybird
What is it?
Storybird is a collaborative storytelling tool. It provides pictures for you and then either yourself or your students or whoever else has opportunity to write a story. In order to use storybird you need to create an account. Teachers are able to create a class accounts so one account can be used by thirty different students.
Once you've signed, then storybird will bring you to your personal homepage. There are lots of similar themed images, you can start just by choosing one visual and click on to start a storybird. Now you are able to build stories by dragging and dropping the pictures and creating a story to match. Storybird is a great way to get students using technology and working collaboratively. It also gives them to experience the joy of publishing their own books.
How could it be used by teachers AND students?
Storybird is an extremely engaging site that allows students to focus more on the content of their writing. It can help the kids to think about what kinds of story can go with pictures. Students can really feel like they are authors. It's also great for the teachers because they're able to easily create students accounts and assignments for students.
Application in class
Storybird is a good way to allow students to develop their creative skills. I could use it in the classroom like this. I want my students to tell me about their experience that they had over the weekend or last winter vacation. Students can show their stories with pictures.
It also allows the students to interact with people outside of the classroom. Here is another activity that I want to use in the classroom. As a teacher, I can make my own book to practice 'adjective'. I make my book with a picture and make stories but there are some blanks in the sentences. Then I will ask my students to give their idea to complete the sentences. You can see this picture on my google sites. or
this link directly leads you my work...ENJOY^^
2. Xtranomal
What is it?
Xranormal is a movie creation tool that uses text to speech technology. Users can crate a video by choosing characters, a background, and then typing the dialogue to be read by the computer program. Additional animations and sound effects can be easily added by dragging and dropping into the text boxes. This site allows you the to share your movies to SMS by providing embed codes.
Like many other sites, you need to create your own account in order to use it.
After creating your account then sign up for getting started. There are many different types of categories you can choose. Once you choose one, then you have to choose one actor or two actors. After that, you need to choose sets.
When you're gonna click on actors here, now you type in the text box what you want them to say. If you want to add motions, sounds, and faces, just drag and drop it. Then preview, and save your script. Now you have your own animated movie.
One thing you keep in mind is.... you can sign up for free, but you can buy sets, characters through points. It provides you 300 points to start off when you sign up for a new account. So be careful not to spend more money on it.
How could it be used by teachers AND students?
As a tool within the classroom students easily use Xtranormal to create stories, or recreate scenes from a novel being read in class. They could also use it for reflective learning to share what they have learned before.
Instead of just using the text from the course books, students get to create their own unique conversations. This will help them with their grammar, comprehension and listening skills. Teachers can assign each student, for example, a five line dialogue under certain topics. Then it can be increased according to their skill level.
Application in class
Xtranormal is one of the most powerful tools to create your own story. It has many aspects to be used in the classroom.
I can use it as a way of presenting my instructions for a lesson. Because it is an animated motion picture, it is easy to get students' attention easily. You can see my instruction for a lesson in my google site.
It is also can be used to have your students to re-create a scene from the text or re-write the ending of a story. This works well at any levels. And it is also fun when the class shares the clips with each other.
