Storypanda Books -- Read, Create, Share Kids Stories
Kids put their own spin on stories in this inventive storybook app
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Storypanda Books -- Read, Create, Share Kids Stories
Pros: By adapting the stories in a one-of-a-kind way, kids can learn more about storytelling and basic narrative structure.
Cons: There are no audio instructions, and there's only one free book; more diversity among character selections would be a positive addition.
Bottom Line: Top-quality books in a unique edit-the-story format; just be ready for in-app purchases.
Teachers can use Storypanda Books to help kids get a sense of the choices writers make during the story-building process. Kids can also learn about and develop their collaboration skills. When reading a story for the first time, teachers may want to read the story straight through, with all content in its original state. Then, they can work through the same story as a class-wide exercise, with individual students making choices about characters, scenes, and sentence changes along the way. When finished, it would be great to read the story aloud -- kids can discover how the changes affected the overall story.
Or, students in a 1:1 program could begin working on the same story individually, then share and compare how their stories differ in the end. In either scenario, discuss how collaboration can move storylines in new ways, and how small tweaks to a story can change the overall narrative quite a bit.
Editor's Note: Storypanda Books -- Read, Create, Share Kids Stories is no longer available for download.
Storypanda Books -- Read, Create, Share Kids Stories is a storybook app that encourages kids to interact with digital books by changing the characters and scenes. Kids (or a teacher) can also type their own additions to these high-quality storybooks, some of which are by well-known authors. This app comes pre-loaded with one free, adaptable story (at the time of this review, it's The Adventures of Anna and Dad); all others must be purchased.
In the app, as kids (or adults) read each page of the story, they can tap a little pencil icon to make more options appear. For example, a boy character can be changed to a girl. Other pages prompt kids to provide answers that are then incorporated into the story. When kids complete a story they can share it with others via social networks and/or save it to the iPad.
There's something extra-engaging for kids when they can change the storylines of stories created by adults (think: Mad Libs, or choose-your-own-adventure stories). In Storypanda Books, kids get to ask questions and make decisions, such as: "How would I like that page to look?" "I'd rather have the character be a girl." "Let's feed them pizza!" As kids progress through a story, they'll practice reading (or listening) in addition to developing storytelling skills. If they change a character from a boy to a girl, they'll need to change the pronouns on subsequent pages to agree with this change. As they do so, they learning editing skills and story consistency.
However, Storypanda's free fun is limited to one story, unless you're willing to pay for more storybooks via in-app purchase. Also, some of the books lack options for choosing characters of different skin tones and ethnicities. If used as a student-driven activity, teachers may want to help younger students interpret the texts and narratives as they make changes. Overall, Storypanda Books can be a way to empower kids to put their own spin on stories.
Learning Rating
Community Rating
Interactive Story App!
Overall I like this app. It gives the students the chance to create their own writing piece and share it with the class. It does have limits on the characters, graphics, etc so after awhile it may become boring and lame to the students. I would definitely suggest it to create a couple of stories but would look for an alternate to create more stories.
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