iPads in the Classroom
Storybird, Wordle, and VoiceThread
Storybird
Developing young authors with Storybird. Storybird is a visual storytelling community. A global hub of readers, writers, and artists of all ages. Storybirds are short, art-inspired stories, presentations, reports, or tutorials you and your students make to share, read, and print. Storybird is a fun, collaborative website that can be integrated in all content areas. It can be an effective resource for teaching parts of a story, the writing process, promoting creativity, and more. STEM and social studies teachers can use Storybird for engaging alternatives to traditional lessons, reports and presentations. Storybird also seamlessly keeps a portfolio of each student's work.
Take a Guided Tour of Storybird
Storybird: Encourage Creativity, Promote Writing, & Add Excitement to Reports, Presentations, & Tutorials
Storyboard Tutorial
Super Storytelling with StoryBird
Storybird Quick FAQs (by Clif Mims)
- Storybird is FREE!
- It requires minimal teacher preparation time.
- Educators should sign up for the Teacher accounts.
- Teacher accounts allow you to setup classes and administer student accounts.
- Alleviates the necessity for student email accounts.
- Makes it possible for children under 13 to legally have accounts.
- Storybird has safeguards for child online safety built into it. Teacher accounts also help you with this.
- Student work can be made public or private.
- Teachers can setup assignments with directions and deadlines that students will see.
- Teachers can specify that students use a particular art gallery for an assignment.
- Storybird guides you through the process of creating each story.
- At this time, you can only use the images within one art gallery.
- The use of the artwork can prompt reluctant writers and encourage deep reflection and higher-order thinking.
- Students can benefit from writing for an audience.
- Finished stories can be:
- Viewed online by classmates, friends, and family.
- Embedded into websites, blogs, wikis, Glogs, etc.
- Downloaded and saved as PDF files.
- Printed from your computer.
- Purchased as softcover and hardcover books.
- Teachers can use Storybird:
- To introduce themselves or the class rules on the first day of school and at parent night.
- To create lessons and tutorials about any topic.
- As an easy strategy for keeping a portfolio of student writing.
- To promote the writing process.
- To help students better understand the parts of a story.
- To encourage higher-order thinking skills (HOTS).
- To promote creativity.
- To collaborate with students, colleagues, and other classrooms.
- For much more...
- Students can use Storybird:
- To write an About Me story the first week of school.
- As an alternative strategy for submitting research reports, book reports, and essays.
- For journal reflections.
- To create gifts for loved ones.
- To collaborate with others inside and outside of the classroom.
- For much more...
- A few curriculum connections
- Promote early writing -- even with student created wordless picture books.
- Sequencing
- Main idea
- Elements of a story
- Propaganda techniques
- Practice with a variety of writing genres (persuasive writing, mysteries, poetry, etc.)
A Simple Guide for Teachers and Students
Teacher Membership Plans
- up to 75 free student accounts
- 3 free classes
- unlimited storybirds
Choose Your Plan: http://storybird.com/teachers/memberships/
Creating an Assignment with Storybird
Writing Ideas for Storybird (assignment)
Grading an Assignment
Teaching with Wordle
Gettysburg Address
http://tinyurl.com/cg74zdt
I Have a Dream
http://tinyurl.com/ccrxd7s
Wordle in the Classroom
VoiceThread
Intro to Audioboo