Story writing is a valuable skill that, hopefully, all students experience, practice and develop in school or at home. In the 21st century, students have the ability to create stories in innovative ways using progressive tools of the century. Littlebirdtales.com is an example of one such tool. This interactive, digital story writing, Web 2.0 tool allows students to create original stores online and narrate each page in their own voices in just a few short clicks.
Initially, an account has to be set up by a teacher. Teachers are able to enroll classes and students, within the teacher account. When creating student accounts, teachers are able to assign a customized user ID and password to each student. This feature is very important and necessary to manage student accounts, especially for younger students who might not be able to remember a randomly selected user ID and password.
Once the account has been set up and students log in, they are greeted with a very user-friendly interface and guided through the three-step process of creating their own digital stories.
In Step 1, students create their cover page.
In Step 2, students create the pages and narrate their stories. In both Steps 1 & 2, students are either able to draw a picture, using the paint program within the interface, or to upload pictures saved to the computer. In the event the student has drawn a picture by hand, the picture can be scanned or photographed using a digital camera and uploaded to the computer.
Finally, in Step 3, students share their stories via Littlebirdtales.com’s e-mail. Recipients of the story are able to follow along while the student narrates the story.
Please click on the link to experience an example story that I have created for the purpose of demonstration. http://littlebirdtales.com/tales/view/story_id/29578
As a computer lab teacher, I can definitely use this Web 2.0 tool in my lab. Previously, my younger students used Kid Pix to paint/draw a picture and to write words about the picture. Subsequently, I printed the pictures (in black and white) to display in my class and for the students to take home. With Littlebirdtales.com I will be able to enhance and expand this concept as well as student learning. The students won’t just be practicing reading and writing skills; they will be producing their own works of art. I can imagine the excitement students will display just at hearing their own voice coming from the computer. I can also imagine how proud they will be to share their stories with anyone willing to listen. Speaking of capturing someone’s attention, this will be a great tool for me to use when relaying concepts, rules, directions, etc. to the students as well.
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