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