Storybird : Inspiration for Creative Writing

2. Storybird.com:Inspiration for Creative Writing By: Laurel Taylor HASL Fall Conference 2011

3. Storybird for Schools • No student emails required • Safe, secure, and private • Unlimited classes • Assignments • Beautiful class libraries • Foreign languages • Signing up takes less than 30 seconds!

6. Curriculum Link • AASL 2.1.6 “Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings.” • AASL 4.3.1 Pursue personal & aesthetic growth…social exchange of ideas. • HCPSIII Language Arts Writing Conventions & Skills

7. Description Storybird is an online literacy tool to develop students’ stories. Thousands of illustrators donate their work to Storybird. Users select which illustrator’s artwork they want for their storybird. Each storybird begins with a blank canvas. Users drag and drop pictures onto a page and write their story. Publish and share. Comment and “heart” others’ stories.

8. How Students Used It • Grades 4-6 class. • Teacher/Librarian might assign a topic such as bullying. Students create a storybird related to preventing bullying. • Select an illustrator. • Create text for the illustrations selected. • Determine design layout. • Share drafts. • Critique each other’s stories.

11. Assessment Tool

12. Prerequisites • Basic keyboarding skills • Basic web navigation • Understanding structural elements of a fictional story

13. Skills During Usage • Click • Drag and drop • Add text

21. Hardware/Tech Access • Computer lab • Internet access

22. Trouble-shooting Tips • Allow students 10 minutes for initial login. • Ideally best to only have 1 class on at a time so page loads quickly. • Keep your own file of students’ passwords.

26. Questions? • Storybird.com • Laurel Taylor Library Media Specialist JK-6 Sacred Hearts Academy ltaylor@sacredhearts.org

27. Thank you!