Storybird
http://storybird.com/
Reviewed by Victor Reeser, Suwon-Gyeonggi Chapter
Overview
Storybird is a free-to-use website that allows users to use thousands of images in the Storybird database to create customized written works ranging from single-page poems to books. There are hundreds of free storybooks available to read, and students have the option to share their completed works with other users on the site. There is an option to order printed versions of custom storybooks students create.
The Good
The structure of the site makes it very user-friendly, and the user interface is clean and simple. There’s something to be said for good web design. I think the design of the site makes it easy for students to get started creating their own stories with minimal instruction. For the average student, the possibility for story creation is endless. Students can share their work with other classes or even potentially on a school website that shares student work with the entire student body and their parents. This has the potential to be an excellent tool for a writing class full of young learners. A dedicated teacher could even have a contest among their students and print out the winner’s book for the class or school library. How is that for motivation?
The Bad
While there is a lot of potential use of this tool, teachers would need to build their curriculum around it to maximize its potential. Also, the database of images includes a myriad of styles from various artists and some students might find it difficult to locate the right images to fit their story.
The Application
There is a feature to create books with multiple chapters in addition to single-page poems and other short passages. There is potential for students to work together on creating a storyboard and finding the best images to craft epic stories, as well. Teachers could select the same image for a class and have them write about what comes to mind when they look at that image. That could be turned into one book of class poetry and again shared between different writing classes or posted for the world to see. The versatility of the tool in the hands of a capable educator leads me to believe Storybird has the potential to redefine how writing class is taught and how it is studied.
About the Author
Originally from the U.S., Victor has spent the past 8 years working in English education in Korea. He received his M.Ed in TESOL from Framingham State University, and he is currently working as an assistant professor in the College English Education Committee of Creative Convergence Education Center at Hanyang University in Seoul.
