Storybird

A web tool that I learned about and really enjoyed was Storybird (storybird.com). This is a free tool that anyone can use to create a story about anything they can imagine, and even easily publish to the web. The website provides a large amount of pictures to choose from, which are separated into different categories. You begin by choosing a set of pictures based on the sample pictures shown or choose from a theme. The creators have the idea of inspiring a story from artwork, which is why the process is done this way. Once a set of artwork is chosen, the rest is very simple, and the author can be as creative and imaginative as possible with writing the story.

Since this tool is so simple to use, I am very excited about using it with my future students. It is a great tool to not only excite children about literacy, but to help them practice and learn more about reading and writing. If older children or more adults are not available to help, I may have to use Storybird mostly for creating a story as a whole class, but I could also use it in small groups. However, the children can pick whatever pictures they want and dictate the story. If children are able to spell and have a little more typing skills, Storybird is simple enough for them to use themselves.

When I created my first story using Storybird, it took no time at all to figure out how to use which is why it would be a good idea for classroom use. I was able to quickly pick a set of pictures and begin the creative process. One thing that was difficult was keeping track of the picture you want to use if there are a lot of pictures in the set. I lost one that I wanted to use, but there are so many that a found another that I liked as well. The only thing I would do differently next time is make sure that I move the picture to the page before I keep looking through the rest of the pictures. I enjoyed creating the story and I am sure others of all ages will enjoy it as well.