I chose to use Zooburst to create my digital story after looking at a lot of other people reflections and stories. Many people used Storybird, which is nice and clean, simple, I like the way it looks, but I wanted to be a little bit more creative in creating my story, and I didn't want to write a story around artwork that is already there. I wanted to create the artwork that goes along with my narration.
After looking at Amy's story that she wrote for her grandchildren, I was inspired to write a story for my niece and nephew. I decided to write about our day on the St. Croix River.
However, after working with the program for a little over an hour, I see why many people decided to use Storybird. Besides writing the story and adding in captions for what each person is saying, you have to insert every single element into your story yourself. That includes all background items and colors, scenery, people, and things. Each element has to be searched for, inserted, and sized. I know that this process will get easier with each story that I write, but it seems very time consuming. For stories that I have written in the past, I like having the option of printing them (like from Shutterfly), or if they are just purely digital, I have been using SmartNotebook that has some pretty cool transitions and is very clear to see and understand. Some of the images available here seem blurry if you change the size or angle they are viewed from.
It would be a different, fun tool for the students to use to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or theme, rather than just making and presenting a powerpoint to the rest of the class.
I like the pop-up element, but besides that initial excitement, the basic free package doesn't excite me too much. But like I said, maybe it is something more for the students to use rather than for me to use to design lessons and present information. I will keep this in my mind, and find out how other staff are using this program with their classes.
*minnow (a small fish often used as bait)
ReplyDeleteThe spelling I chose in the Zooburst story is the proper name he gave it, and therefore it should be capitalized. I apologize.
:)
Super cute! Yes, I can imagine that this took a ton of time!! I'll bet your niece and nephew will love this though!! I thought this would be a bit tough to use with our level of language students because it has to be soooo controlled for them to not get in over their heads with their limited language ability!!
ReplyDeleteI think digital storytelling is one of the most difficult activities, no matter which product you use. I'm glad you stuck with it--your story is so cute! I bet your niece and nephew will enjoy reading about themselves. I agree that it would be a difficult tool for students to use though, especially in Spanish!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I really like how creative some people can be! It is fun!
ReplyDeleteGina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughtful review of Zoobook. I too was not wanting to use the packaged art in Storybird as nothing really seemed to fit the story I want to write. Zookbook looked daunting to me...which is why I skipped that assignment. I think I am ready to tackle it...in Storybird.
I also liked the review. And your story! Storybird turned outto be a fairly easy process, and while the art wasn't perfect, I found some of the options given to me helped create and lead my storybird in good directions. Helpful for inspiration, which can often be a problem for me.
ReplyDeleteGina- I love the review. It actually made me try out storybird instead. After using storybird though, it made me want to try zoobook so I could create my own art!
ReplyDeleteI used ZooBurst and liked it. There were some activities where I had an idea of what I wanted to do and didn't really like the process, so I totally understand your aversion to this one.
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