Thing 4: Digital Storytelling
photo credit from Pixabay
Little did I know that 30 years later they could be preserved as digital stories. It is with great pleasure I present to you Harmony the Snowflake written by my second grade after school class from Santa Ana, California. The fun part of this story is that none of my students had ever experienced snow but with a little research and a lot of imagination, they were able to create this beautiful story.
I played with many different tools- some I was familiar with, some were new. I used Little Bird Tales to produce this digital story. I did not fuss with perfection. I wanted to see how easily it could be done from a students viewpoint. This was a very easy format for students to use.
I have students who enjoy writing stories and books. I would be very excited to feature these masterpieces on a regular basis.
I was familiar with VoiceThread and Toontastic. I explored many of the new sites. Storybird and Toondoo were sites that I also found very kid friendly for creative expression. LittleBirdTales was definitely the most kid friendly
Some of these tools are definitely advanced for my elementary students but could be wonderful tools for teachers to provide resources to their students. Many of our teachers use timelines and I am sure would enjoy a tool to provide instruction with. I also think even if a tool is too advanced for certain grade levels- in order to be a good digital citizen, students must be able to find resources and tools that are appropriate for their age and skill level.
I teach my students that online resources are a digital library and the same rules of library citizenship pertain to digital citizenship. Students must develop skills to make appropriate choices in the digital world- not just for safety sake but for a successful experience. One site might be appropriate if it is going to be parent or teacher guided- just as a book may be appropriate if being read by a parent or teacher. Other sites may be appropriate for independent use and of course there are always the sites that are not age or subject appropriate. It is all the responsibility of the student, parent, and teacher to develop the skills of making appropriate choices.
I guess that is a bit of a tangent but I feel is important when presenting tools to our students. I would like my students to be able to present digital stories but I want to make sure I am setting them up for a successful experience.
I was familiar with VoiceThread and Toontastic. I explored many of the new sites. Storybird and Toondoo were sites that I also found very kid friendly for creative expression. LittleBirdTales was definitely the most kid friendly
Some of these tools are definitely advanced for my elementary students but could be wonderful tools for teachers to provide resources to their students. Many of our teachers use timelines and I am sure would enjoy a tool to provide instruction with. I also think even if a tool is too advanced for certain grade levels- in order to be a good digital citizen, students must be able to find resources and tools that are appropriate for their age and skill level.
I teach my students that online resources are a digital library and the same rules of library citizenship pertain to digital citizenship. Students must develop skills to make appropriate choices in the digital world- not just for safety sake but for a successful experience. One site might be appropriate if it is going to be parent or teacher guided- just as a book may be appropriate if being read by a parent or teacher. Other sites may be appropriate for independent use and of course there are always the sites that are not age or subject appropriate. It is all the responsibility of the student, parent, and teacher to develop the skills of making appropriate choices.
I guess that is a bit of a tangent but I feel is important when presenting tools to our students. I would like my students to be able to present digital stories but I want to make sure I am setting them up for a successful experience.
Love the story you created with Little Bird Tales. It is a nice simple one for kids isn't it. And you make a really good point about presenting options to students and having them consider what will get the job done, but also what is appropriate to the task/audience. Nice!
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