Digital Storybooks in the Classroom

     I was excited to be able to work with digital story books in class today. I have used them several times before and I have created a few myself over the past four years at Iowa State. Every time that I have created a book or movie I always really become involved in the process. I love to edit the photos and display them in different layouts.The digital stories that I have created for classes have been really time consuming and challenging at times, but after you have finished you have a product that you are really proud of.  You have a finished piece that is your own and your hard work and time is all worth it at the end. If I feel this way after I finish one then I know that my future students would feel the same way when they finish their own stories. This is one reason why I will use them in my future classroom.

     Another reason why I will use it in my own classroom someday is because I think that is an awesome way for students to show their creativity and present their voice through a book or movie. It gives students a chance to tell a story or describe an event or person in a different way than a report. Written reports get boring after awhile and I feel that digital stories are a great way to revamp the standard written report. The students are still having to do the research and writing, but they are doing it in a fun and exciting way. They are also able to do more with them because they can add special effects, pictures, and music to them. They are able show their personality through their movies by adding these extras. It is also a great project for a group activity because everyone can get involved with the creation of it. There are many jobs such as retrieving pictures, writing text, recording voices, finding music, and editing them. Everyone in the group can have a job and can contribute to a great final product.

      In class we learned that it is more geared for upper elementary because of the time that is involved and the extensive computer work. I think that it can be modified though for the younger ages like how we saw in the Storybird example. The lower elementary teacher has to do a lot more work when scaffolding the activity for younger children because he or she may have to do most of the uploading and editing, but I still think the younger children can have a part in it. For example, the students could take the pictures, write what they want to say, and record their voices.

     Overall I think that digital storybooks are an excellent addition to a classroom curriculum. There are many possibilities for how they can be used and can be used in all areas of the curriculum. They are a great way for students to work with technology in an innovative way!