Glitchy but worth it. Kids love it. Coupled with persuasive writing, works like a charm.
Community Review for Tellagami
My Take
Using the Tellagami app definitely improved student learning. It required them to condense their arguments into shorter, concise positions. They loved creating the avatars, choosing gender, clothing, hair, etc. Each one was a reflection of the writer in digital format! They loved it. I loved how it forced them to really think through the facts of the event. The only issue we encountered was using the voice feature. Just too glitchy. We worked around it by typing in responses. Hope the developers fix this problem. Well worth using again.
How I Use It
I used Tellagami with my fourth graders for the first time this past year. I assigned a SS persuasive writing assignment, entitled "Boston Massacre or Boston Riot?" Students researched the event, close-reading the actual witness testimony from the trial transcript. Working in pairs, they developed position papers and wrote a pen-paper essay. After a group share, we developed key criteria then shifted to the iPads. Using the Tellagami app, individual students created their avatar and typed in their position. We posted the Tellagamis on the school wikispace and graded them against student-created rubrics. Great fun!