Thing 6: Digital Storytelling

I tried using StoryBird and wrote a story. I liked that you could easily type in the program but I felt limited by the illustrations. I was also unable to download my story at the end, as the program said I didn't have enough credits to download it. I like that you can pay to have your book printed if you like. I think students would enjoy having this option were they to create their story at home. However, I think that younger children enjoy drawing illustrations to go along with their story, so they may not care for this program for that reason. It takes away from their creativity.

I tried creating a video with Animoto that you can check out here.  I like that you can easily upload photos and they put them together for you into a video format very easily. I also liked that the music feature was so easy to add, too. However, working with special needs students, I don't see these as tools that would be as beneficial to me as some of the others I've tried so far.

I also tried using Make Beliefs Comixs, Sharalike, Animoto, and Exposure. I left feeling like digital storytelling is not an avenue that will give me the most bang for my buck with the students I currently service. While I do see the motivation factor, I don't see this as a tool that will create a lot of anxiety for my students. As second graders, they are pretty quick with iPads. However, utilizing chrome books and laptops in this way is a skill set that they are just diving into. I would have some major reservations about utilizing digital storytelling at this time.