This post refers back to Bp_2 and the recommendation of littlebirdtales.com.
The littlebirdtales website is fairly simple and has good directions. YouTube had tutorials for littlebirdtales, and there were also some great examples of completed projects. I think the simplicity of this Web2.0 tool is what makes it great. Introducing it to my students really was the impetus for a great discussion about stories. Then as everyone began to write stories there was a lot of sharing of ideas. Both about the written work and how to illustrate the story. As I observed the students the collaboration was awesome!
I had heard of other teachers using littlebirdtales, and although I stayed away from this Web2.0 tool thinking it was “too juvenile” for my adolescent students I finally decided to just do it. I created my own tale about a field trip we took. Then I showed it to the class. We went though the program noting the recording capabilities, the drawing section and all the other great features of littlebirdtales. We also read other “public tales”. There was a wide variety, one was about boyfriends.
Then the fun began. The first part of the assignment was to write a short story. We reviewed what made a story a great story. Everyone was involved in brainstorming so we created a mind-map so everyone would have a visual to refer to as they began to write.
As a teacher I am always amazed at what works in the classroom. There are times that I have spent many hours developing a lesson plan. Then when I share it in class the outcome was not what I planned. Sometimes that is just fine. We go in another direction.
This is really wonderful learning to jump in and explore Web2.0. Now thanks to Pete and his recommendation to try Schoology I am going to that site and plan a lesson for next week.
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