A free Windows app that is ideal for Digital Storytelling. This app teaches students how to program by drag-n-dropping actions/blocks into sequential order.
Freemium MEOGRAPH, the interactive storytelling tool which proved best in show at EdSurge's Inaugural Teacher Tank, has released a new set of premium features aimed specifically at educators. Meograph's core functionality -- story creation through maps, timelines, web links, and multimedia -- is still 100% free, but the new licensed features remove some of the practical barriers to classroom-wide implementation. They include a classroom management tool that lets teachers view student content in a single place (addressing direct feedback from one of our teacher sharks!), privacy options for sharing with groups or individuals, and privacy-compliant registration for users under the age of 13. Plans start at $19.99/year for up to 40 students.
iPad app for digital storytelling "A Novel Idea is the premier tool for plotting your story and recording bursts of inspiration. Use its simple interface to create your characters, locations, scenes, and novels and then link them together to create your story's plot. Use the Idea feature to quickly jot down your creative sparks, snap pictures and link them to your story elements. "
Students create an original story using art provided on the site. The books can be embedded on a blog or webpage. Stories can be made into a book or PDF. There is a fee for this option.
Students become engaged learners through this unit that prepares students for studying ancient Greece and combines learning basic research skills with digital storytelling skills. While researching about Greek gods, heroes and creatures, students learn how to find main ideas in sentences and paragraphs in books and Internet articles, which they then learn to record in short phrases on index cards divided by topic. Working with a partner, students turn these short phrases into the script for their digital story that includes music and pictures.