Storybird

This week the Web 2.0 tool we studied was Storybird.  This tool allows users to create their own stories.  Storybird can be accessed by students or teachers, depending on the grade level and what type of lesson Storybird is being incorporated into.  Just by playing around with this tool for a few minutes it became obvious that creating stories on Storybird was fun and engaging.  You can even add art from a multitude of different artists.  All it takes is a little creativity and your book is finished.  There are options to purchase the book so that students can easily access a physical copy of it.

There are a couple of issues, however.  With a regular account, Storybird restricts you to only using art from one artist.  PowerPoint, while more difficult to make into an actual physical book, actually essentially does the same thing as Storybird but lets you pull art from anywhere on the web you find it.  This tool might not be too useful at the high school level, since students might feel as if Storybird is too "kiddy".  At the middle school level, however, there may be some uses.  Students in a history class could create a story based around what it would be like to live during the middle ages in order to really connect to the time period.  Storybird, while a bit restrictive, can still be used as a fun, instructive tool in the classroom.