Digital Writing on i-devices that even our youngest kids can use...and publishes easily to the web!
Community Review for StoryKit
My Take
I love this iPhone app that works on iPad because it integrates with the iPad's microphone, camera, touch screen for drawing, on-screen keyboard for adding text . . . really takes full advantage of the device's capabilities. Additionally, it is SOOOO simple to publish the project to their website when you're done and email the generated link out to post on a website or share with parents. The only negative side to is this: when students want to access the microphone, the text that is onscreen is not visible. So if they want to read what they have typed or written by hand, they can't see it! The drawing tools are also a bit limited, but using a stylus makes it a bit better for kids. Use the color "white" to erase what you've drawn.
How I Use It
I've used this with 1st grade classes to write themed stories on all kinds of topics. Spend some time teaching them the basics during a couple of whole class projects and they HAVE it! Then they come up with all sorts of ideas to do on their own. Want to bring a picture from home to use: lay it on the desk and snap a picture with the camera...then it is in your story. Want to have students do traditional art work on paper? Do it and snap a picture to bring the drawing into their story. Take photos of science projects and use the app to create a lab report. Have students describe a picture and record themselves to work on reading fluency. If they don't like their recording, they can start over!