There are many apps out there (paid and free) that are great for digital storytelling. I’ve written about several before, but I wanted to share a new one with you called Storehouse. Storehouse is a free, easy to use app that allows students to visually tell a story through video, images and text. They just recently added the ability to share on social media, embed a preview on a website, and add comments or ask the author questions. As with other storytelling apps I have showcased before, Storehouse can be cross-curricular for non-fiction projects such as explaining scientific concepts or retelling historical events. Below is a stunning collection of images and videos capturing the beginning of spring.

Interested in learning about hedgehogs? Check out this one:

For more ideas on digital storytelling using the iPad, visit my Book Creator Apps for the iPad page that includes examples of use and video tutorials.

All NEISD computer labs have been replaced and are now running Kidspiration 3. This is an excellent cross-curricular program that allows for differentiation and does not require a large amount of prep time. Kidspiration 3 differs from version 2 in that it now provides a math component that includes virtual manipulatives. I’ve created some resources to help get you started. Hover over each tool to view an Atomic Learning video tutorial. Log in using your full NEISD email as your username and your 6 digit employee number as your password. For hundreds of already created lessons, visit Kidspiration Online Teacher Resources. Looking for more in-depth Kidspiration Support? Check out these pre-recorded free webinars on a variety of topics:

Using Kidspiration Starter

Using Math Starter

Using Picture View 

Using Writing View

Using Teacher Menu

Even though I’ve been knee deep in district laptop deployment and not able to support my campuses in person, I know exactly what the teachers and students are up to at Bulverde Creek Elementary, San Antonio, Texas. They have an awesome group of bloggers that are diligent about showcasing student work and providing their students with a global audience. Bulverde Creek teachers have an instinctual ability to integrate technology in an engaging and creative way. I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of their ideas with you. Please feel free to leave comments on their blogs in support of their efforts.

Natalie Davis – Mrs. Davis is a 5th grade teacher and a master at appsmashing. This year she implemented an “Any App Pass” where they can choose any app to demonstrate understanding. Check out Wyatt and Preston’s product that shows how to simplify fractions using video and Snapguide:

Check out How to Simplify Fraction’s by Bulverde Fifth on Snapguide.

Jill Corona and Jennifer Montemayor– are both Kinder teachers that regularly share online videos with their parents to support classroom instruction. They also post pictures of special days or events that happen on campus.

Amanda Morris is a fantastic music teacher that posts videos of student performances. Below you will find a percussion demonstration of a Jamaican folk song. Mrs. Morris also uses iPads for self-paced music stations. You can read about it and see examples by clicking here.

Kacie Germadnik, GT teacher at Bulverde Creek, is my personal go-to person for new technology ideas. She has a plethora of tools in her arsenal and uses them every week. One that caught my eye was the way she used Blendspace (formerly Edcanvas) to showcase a student collection of biographies made with Smore. It reminds me of those Russian nesting dolls… a tool, within a tool, within a tool. Here is Kacie’s description of the lesson: 

“Push PLAY to journey through the awesome Smore Fliers created by 5th grade Gifted and Talented kids.  These fliers were created to showcase the personal philosophies of these students through their development of I Believe statements, creating a Dream Team to inspire them to reach their goals, a Mandala that showcases their personal values and ideals, and a biography about how they might impact the world in the future.”

So, let’s review: Step 1- Students create biographies using Smore, Step 2-Teacher compiles all flyers using Blendspace, Step 3- Teachers shares student products with the world by embedding the Blendspace on her blog. Check out the example below.

I recently stumbled upon one of the most creative app-smash projects I have ever seen from Davyhulme Primary School, United Kingdom. The students were focusing on retelling traditional tales, as well as looking at punctuating direct speech. Here is a description of the apptivity:

To help them develop this further, the children created a comic strip of a traditional tale, adding speech bubbles and by using the iPad were able to fill the speech bubbles with videos of the children acting as the characters. This really helped develop the children’s understanding of how to describe the reporting clause. They were able to see how everything the character says including any punctuation, goes inside the speech bubble, therefore inside the speech marks. It also showed how well the children understood the story if they could act in character.

You can read the entire post here. App-smashing is the process of using multiple apps to complete a final product. This particular example uses the iPad camera, Comic Life ($4.99), and Thinglink. The background contains images from the story The Three Little Pigs with the faces of the students superimposed on top, thus making the students the characters in the story. Notice how the students capture the emotion of the characters through facial expressions (my favorite part). Videos of students retelling the story are revealed as you hover your cursor over each speech bubble. I’m sure the energy and excitement during the creation of this product was insane. It makes me want to go back to the classroom! Thank you class 2A for sharing your masterpiece. For more information about app-smashing, check out Lisa Johnson’s post: App Synergy: The Art Form of App-Smashing.

App Smash Workflow for an Interactive Comic:

1. Use the iPad camera to take pictures of the images in the book you are reading (In this case, The Three Little Pigs). Also take pictures of your students that you will superimpose over the images from your story.
2. Use Stackr to layer and crop your images from step 1 and save to your camera roll.
3. Use Comic Life or some other comic creator app of your choice and insert the images from your camera roll. Add speech bubbles as these will be the place markers for the student created videos.
4. Save your image created in Comic Life, or other comic creator app, to your camera roll.
5. Have students record video of themselves retelling important parts of the book. The script needs to match the images that you took earlier. These videos will also be saved in your camera roll.
6. Open Thinglink and upload your comic book image.
7. Add the video tags from your camera roll and place them in the speech bubbles.