Week 10 - responding to feedback

(October 26th)

This week we are responding to the feedback we received from our own "how to" sheet. I am a bit disappointed that only two peers have responded to my sheet, but it has still given me a chance to reflect on what I had submitted.

First peer feedback:
"Kia ora Renee, I had never heard of Story Bird prior to reading your "how to" sheet. You not only have clearly described the possibilities of Story Bird, you've even managed to make me excited about using it. I thought it was fantastic how for step one, you gave me the options to sign up for a private or class account, instead of simply stating "you can sign up at www.storybird.com". You considered a teacher's perspective of the resource in an early childhood setting, and rightly pointed out that I would prefer children using it as a resource instead of creating an account too (which would become difficult for teachers to manage). I thought the way you introduced the pathways of each of the four options was fantastic. How cool that you can learn more about the picture's artist, and even use desired images for personalised craft. I think I may download the Lark by Shorebird app on my phone! The centre I'm working at is considering purchasing an iPad too. Now that it's warmer, most of the tamariki prefer going outside during free play, which means the inside teacher could use this app and supervision would be possible with the smaller group of children who prefer to stay inside."

Second peer feedback:
"Thank you for sharing this wonderful site and app!, After reading your "How to sheet" and browsing the site I also believe Storybird would be a great digital resource in not only an Early Childhood Education setting but also Primary. In Primary Education some of the scaffolding you recommended necessary for Early Childhood would be able to be removed over time.
I created an account and found your instructions very simple and easy to follow. Placing an image alongside the description allowed me to look at the screen to ensure I was on the right pathway. You precisely stated a range of benefits Storybird holds within Early Childhood Education.
I can see its benefits for Primary Education especially supporting reluctant readers and writers. I particularly liked how it had a private parent showcase tab making it easy for parents to be apart of their students creative Stories. 
Thank you once again for sharing this resource, I look forward to implementing it into my future classroom."


I am very happy to have received such positive feedback from my peers. I was a bit nervous and unsure about the response I would get as I wasn't sure how easy my sheet was to follow. I am happy with the response as it took me a very long time (5-6 hours!!) to create my "how to" sheet. In response to the comments I received, I agree that this resource can be used well for teachers and learners in education. As explained in the first peer feedback, I am happy that I decided to expand on all of the possible options the website gives you, rather than assuming it was self explanatory to follow. I am also happy that the second peer feedback also thought this website would be well used in a primary school setting. 

It is clear that my "how to" sheet was easy to follow and I am glad I have been able to share this wonderful resource with some of my peers.

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At the end of the week, I received two more pieces of feedback. Again, they were positive and once piece of feedback suggested another curriculum link I could have added to my "how to" sheet. This was good advice that I had not picked up on so I made the change and added it it. Other than the added curriculum link, I would not change anything about my "how to" sheet.

Third peer feedback:
"Thank you for introducing me to story bird and for sharing your how to guide in using the app/website. When i downloaded the app/website your step by step guide was very easy to understand and was very useful to have next to me when i downloaded it.  i found it very useful that your how to sheet is taken from a teachers/educators view. I found this useful as it made it easier for me to use and support children within the centre i work in to use it. I used the website/app with a group of children who were under 5's years old, i found that they needed teacher assistance but found that they were all very interested in it as it was a new way for us to work together to create and read books. from sharing this app/website with a group of children i agree with you that it should be used as a resource rather than children creating their own accounts. 
I noticed within your links to the strands of the New Zealand early childhood Curriculum 'Te Whariki' you left out strand one: Well being - Mana Atua. After reading through your how it sheet and looking at the site i feel as though the app/website links to the strand Well being, Goal 2, "children experience an environment where their emotional well-being is nurtured". The app/website allows all children to be involved and you have exampled this within your how to sheet "these pictures can then be turned into stories, books and poems which can be written by you, students or other users". children's emotional well-being is nurtured as they are able to be engaged in their own learning, make thoughtful choices and share these with their peers and teachers, which relates to children's social, cognitive and emotional development"

Fourth peer feedback:
"I really enjoy how you have made your 'how to' link with the colours of your app. It is very visually appealing!!
I have never heard about this app and website, and with your how to sheet this has made me interested in learning more about it. You have made your instructions every clear and precise to make it easy for me to set up my own story bird. This looks like it will be a great app/website for students to use to enhance their interest and abilities within their English.
You have made your instructions very clear and with the photos it makes it easy to follow these. I like how you have taken the screen shots and then drawn on them to be specific about what you are describing. With the side notes that you have added to the side of the screen shots makes it even more evident about what you are explaining.
As I am a primary teacher this would be a fantastic app/website to use within my class. I love the idea of the library that you have described. This will be an excellent tool to set up so you can assign certain books for the students to read to expand their reading.
Story bird sounds like a great tool to use to further interest students within their writing and reading.
Thank you for introducing me to this app and website."

Week 9 - Exploring, reflecting, responding

(October 19th)

This week we were asked to explore our peers' "how to" sheets. This was a large challenge for me because I had been the only person in my group to upload my sheet. When my peers started submitting their "how to's" I responded with feedback to them straight away. It took another couple of days before I received any feedback on my own sheet. This frustrated me as I was wanting to start my assignment and could not do so until I could reflect on my peers' feedback. I still believe these "how to" sheets were a good assignment as we have been able to learn from each other and find out about possible resources we can use when teaching. Here are the responses and feedback that I gave to my peers regarding their "how to" sheets:

My response to "Scribbit" how to sheet:

Your "how to" really caught my attention in a fun, engaging way. The bright colours and presentation kept it entertaining and I was intrigued to find out more about this resource. The information and guidance was provided in a clear, simple way that was easy to understand and follow. While I may not use this in early childhood education (due to possibly being too advanced for young children), your links to the curriculum clearly supported how the resource would benefit children's English and literacy throughout schooling. I believe this would be a positive resource to help with children's literacy and your "how to" has definitely encouraged me to look further into this website as a tool for teaching.

My response to "Beebots" how to sheet:

I found your "how to" activity was written simply and was easy to follow as I learned about the resource. I thought that use of headings and titles rather than a step by step guide helped me to understand the resource and how it works in engaging, simplistic way. The information was clear and allowed me to picture how I would use Beebots in my early childhood setting. The links to Te Whariki support my ideas of the learning outcomes this resource would have when using it with tamariki. 

My response to "Toontastic" how to sheet:

I found your "how to" sheet very engaging and simple to follow. The first thing that caught my eye was the "parent guide" option on the first picture shown on your "how to" sheet. I would have been interested to find out what information was provided for parents (perhaps it was the learning outcomes from the app?) I think this is something else you could have included in your "how to" sheet since the information would most likely be helpful for teachers too.

The step by step guide was well written and informed as I followed it again after downloading and exploring the app myself. The curriculum links you made clearly explained how this app would provide creative, expressive ideas for children's learning. Your guide also encouraged me to gain ideas on how I could use this app in early childhood education. 

All of the "how to" sheets that I read were simple, engaging, and easy to understand. I enjoyed being able to find out more about these resources and followed the step-by-step guides on how to use them. As a student teacher, I think it has been very helpful to share and provide ideas for our peers. By providing feedback to each other, we are learning how to assess our peers and receive different ideas and thoughts towards our own work from peers rather than a lecturer. 

Week 8 - How to..

(October 12th)

This week, we were asked to create a "how to" sheet. This would be a step-by-step guide to using a resource that we could use as a teacher, and must be a resource we were unfamiliar with. I decided to write mine on a website called "Story Bird".

How to: A guide to using Story Bird

Story Bird is a website used by teachers, students, and anyone who wants to be creative. The website allows you to create and write stories using artwork, drawings, and pictures uploaded by other users. (You cannot upload your own art work unless you register as an artist – see step two). These pictures can then be turned into stories, books, and poems which can be written by you, students, or other users. Story Bird can also be used as a library and resource. If you do not have enough time to be creating your own works, you can view other stories and poems online and share them with children, students, or your friends.

Interested and ready to get started? Let’s go!

(This step by step guide has been taken from a teachers/educators view).

STEP ONE – register online:

Head to www.storybird.com where you will be asked to sign up for free. You then have the option to sign in as a regular user, educator/teacher, student, writer, or artist.

When registering as an educator/teacher, you are asked to create a ‘class’ so your students who may wish to join, can register as a class group. (I registered with a class called ‘year3’ since I am in year three of my study).

STEP TWO – add your class/students:

After registering, Story Bird will then take you to your personal ‘STUDIO’ page which gives you the option to watch a “how-to” video or add/invite students to your class group.

In relation to early childhood education, teachers/educators may prefer to use Story Bird as a resource rather than having young children/students create their own account. If you do not want to invite students to your class, skip to Step Three.

If you do wish to invite students to join your class, you will be given an access code to ensure all students can find you. You can also add them to your class by typing in their username once they have registered as a student.

STEP THREE – find your way around:

At the top of your page, you will see four options to click on.

‘YOU’ gives you a list of options to direct you to your homepage, settings, help, about, and log out

‘STUDIO’ takes you back to Step Two where you have the option to add/invite students. This also allows you to create assignments for students and add stories to your ‘library’

‘WRITE’ is where you can discover, pick, and search for artwork you may like to write a story or poem about.

Clicking on an artwork or picture you want to use gives you more information about the work and allows you to use it in a story.

‘READ’ allows you to search and browse for stories that have already been created by other users. This is useful if you are looking for stories and resources to show children rather than making them yourself. It allows you to search in topics, format, and/or age categories.

By clicking on a story, you are able to gain more information and read the story from cover to end.

STEP FOUR – download the app

Story Bird also has an app available to download on phone, iPad, tablet, or other devices. The app does not offer the same uses as the website however; the app is used for creating poems to artwork. The app is free to download and use.

To download the free app, search for ‘Lark by Storybird’. Once you have signed in to your account, you will have three options to choose from at the bottom of your screen. The button on the right is your profile page where you can see your notifications, settings, and poems you have created:

The button on the left is your home page. This is where you can scroll through posts/artists/writers you are following, most recent, and trending poems that have been created:

The centre button takes you to where you can create your own poems. This can be done by double tapping the centre of the screen and choosing your picture/artwork. Once you have chosen your artwork, your screen will look like this:

With the words given below the picture, you can drag them and place them anywhere on the image to make sentences and create your poem. This could be a creative task for early childhood education. While young children would most likely need teacher assistance, they could use the words to describe the picture or create their own short poem. These poems/images can then be saved, deleted, posted, and/or shared to the Story Bird website and other social media accounts.

How would I use Story Bird in the early childhood setting?

As a teacher and educator, I would definitely use Story Bird with young children. I believe this is an easy-to-use website and it acts as a great digital resource. I would most likely use the website more than the app because the website provides more creative opportunities. I think the use creating your own book with children/students is a wonderful creative idea. Creating your own story may be time consuming but the other option is to use the site as a library. I would definitely come to this site to find creative stories written by other users online. I think it is a fun, quirky, creative way to share thoughts and ideas through books, poems, and images.

While the use of Story Bird may always need teacher assistance when using it with under 5’s, I think it is still a creative way for children to be using books, reading, and creating with the help of digital devices. I think preschoolers may be old enough to use the app to create their own digital poems but it may be harder for younger children. Over all, I found the website and the app very easy to navigate and have enjoyed making my own stories and poems to share with the Story Bird community.

Links to New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum ‘Te Whariki’:

Strand 2: Belonging – Mana Whenua

·         Children are connecting links with the family and wider world are affirmed and extended

Strand 3: Contribution – Mana Tangata

·         Children are affirmed as individuals

·         Children are encouraged to learn with and alongside others

Strand 4: Communication – Mana Reo

·         Children develop verbal and non-verbal communication skills for a range of purposes

·         Children develop verbal communication skills for a range of purposes

·         Children experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures

·         Children discover different ways to be creative and expressive

Strand 5: Exploration – Mana Aoturoa

·         Children’s play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognised

·         Children learn strategies for active exploration, thinking and reasoning

·         Children develop working theories for making sense of the natural, social, physical, and material worlds

Week 6 - Digital Storytelling

(October 5th)


This week we have been looking at Māori storytelling and a variety of student made videos. Through these videos we have been thinking about what skills and tools would be needed for making, filming, and editing the videos. I then questioned how I would assess these skills in relation to the early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki. Here are my reflections about two of the videos:

Zombie Horror

In Zombie horror, the students had used a wide range of editing and filming techniques including cuts, fades, various camera angles, slow motion, dialogue, audio, and music. This displayed many ICT skills they would have needed to film (knowing how to use a camera) and edit (using technology and software) to make the video. The students would have also brainstormed their video idea, planned scenes, and allocated roles and dialogue for each character. There would have been a lot of team work, discussion, and planning/organisation prior to filming the video. 

Whakapumau Horror Flick

Whakapumau Horror Flick was very similar as it displayed many of the same filming and editing techniques. They also included black and white scenes as well as colour which showed more editing skills. Like the Zombie Horror video, the students would have planned and discussed roles, scenes, dialogue, and characters before filming. They clearly displayed their use and knowledge of how to use a camera and various editing skills.


In relation to early childhood education and curriculum, both of these videos could be assessed on empowerment (student lead), relationships (focusing on peer relationships), contribution (working as a team and sharing thoughts and ideas), and communication (communicating effectively verbally and through stories and symbolism).

In an early childhood setting I might use digital story telling when recalling or reenacting past events or situations that a child remembers or wants to look back on. This could include class trips, a special memory, a family holiday etc that a child wants to recreate. A young child may also like to video their dramatic play or something they have created that they wish to be able to view at a later time.



- Renee O'Sullivan