Visual & Artful Storytelling Using Storybird, Voicethread, and Little Bird Tales Presented by: Cindy Shieh & Kathy Hsu

Before You Begin... Cover all your bases: o Do you have parent permission for students to access the tool you wish to use? o Have AUPs (Acceptable Use Policies) been signed? o When in doubt, create your own release form and have parents sign it. o Ask permission for everything! Is it okay to take a picture of your child's work? Is it okay to take a recording of your child's voice? Is it okay to post your child's writing online? Is it okay to your child's work to other parents? Is it okay to share their student’s writing publicly?

Before You Begin... Think about computer access and availability on your campus/in your classroom. If you are unsure of what you are using/about to post, then it's probably best not to do it.

Example of a Release Form Release Form I give permission for my child’s teacher, Shiuan-Dih “Cindy” Shieh, to upload a photo of my child’s writing and a recording of my child’s voice reading this writing to littlebirdtales.com. I also give her permission to share this photo and voice recording in the form of a Little Bird Tale at the 2012 Fort Bend ISD Technology Conference. Additionally, I will allow her to share this presentation through to her parent contact distribution list. I understand that this writing will be shared for educational and teaching purposes only. I also understand that my child’s work will be identifiable by first name only and that my child’s last name and photo will not be released in conjunction with the presentation. I am aware of the fact that this presentation is not downloadable and that it will not be made public without my consent. ______________________________ Child's Name _____________________________ Parent Name (please print) _____________________________ Parent Signature _____________________________ Date

Fair Use & Copyright Concerns What is Fair Use (use of copyrighted material)?  Be informed and knowledgeable!  Look at the website closely. Be aware of the terms of use for any website that you use as a tool.  Read the fine print! o Have you introduced or reviewed proper netiquette/digital citizenship with your students?  Examples:  Refrain from going to websites that you are not allowed to go to, do not chat with strangers online, and ask a teacher for help if you see anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or scared.

Copyright Concerns: Did You Know? Copyright laws protect both published and unpublished work. Copyright violation is a crime and you can be fined for it. Just because you buy/were given/ ed a copy does not mean that you own the rights to that copy. Make sure to always state your source!

Fair Use Regarding Music Fair use for MUSIC: o You may use 30 seconds or LESS of a musical recording. o Downloading music or other copyrighted files? IP addresses can be tracked and you will be fined! o Check out: videos for free music (creativecommons.org). videos

Storybird: Artful Storytelling What Do We Like About Storybird? o All work will remain private UNLESS you choose to make it public. o Very easy to use! o May be easier to use in small groups/ whole group setting. o Would be great to have an extra pair of hands in there with you to assist. o We like using this tool because the pictures are already there and it helps take away the struggle of “What to write?” o The teacher manages the account so everything is done under the teacher and monitored by the teacher!

Storybird: Artful Storytelling Our ideas for integration in other subject areas/grade levels are: o Have students make a rhyming story. o Ask students to choose 3 pictures and write a beginning, middle, and end to the story. o Ask students to create an ABC book. o Ask students to write in different types of genres. o Give students a science/math theme and challenge them to choose pictures to write a story based on this theme (example: different types of animals, things people enjoy doing in their culture). Questions?

Voicethread What Do We Like About Voicethread? o All work will remain private UNLESS you choose to make it public. o Highly intuitive technology tool. o Drawings are played in real time as you record what you are saying using a microphone or webcam. o Takes little time to teach students how to use! o Allows teachers to spend more time effectively integrating this tool into the curriculum. o Engages students in their own learning How Can This Tool Help Teachers and Students? o Can be used to empower students to participate and succeed. o Allows students to have their own personal environment where they can edit and share their work. o Can create more student-centered and engaging curriculum!

Voicethread What Was Tricky About Using Voicethread? o Students may have a hard time controlling the mouse and recording their voices at the same time. o Cannot use webcams to record themselves on FBISD computers. o Students will need help uploading pictures on computers. Ideas for integration: o Can create a nonfiction story about animal life cycles. o Can model and record how to solve a math story problem. o Give a report on important inventors in social studies. o Have students bring in pictures and create a presentation on their family celebrations. o Create a step-by-step presentation about a class science experiment. Any questions?

Little Bird Tales: Storybook Creation and Sharing What Do We Like About Little Bird Tales? o All work will remain private unless you choose to make it public. o Very easy to share finished product with parents (remember, get permission first!). o May be easier to use in small groups/ whole group setting. o Great way to get kids excited about Writer's Workshop! o You can read others' books, too! o You can order a copy of the book in mp4 format for only $.99! o Would be great to have an extra pair of hands in there with you to assist. o We like using this tool because it's very "customizable!" o The teacher manages the class account and everything can be monitored and edited by the teacher!

Little Bird Tales: Storybook Creation and Sharing What Was Tricky About Using Little Bird Tales? o Can be tough for kids to upload photos. o Could not record students' voices on FBISD computers. o Can be difficult for kinders to do on their own. Ideas for integration: o The opportunities are endless!  Students could create presentations about a topic in social studies/science.  Students could create an "If you give a" story in small groups.  Students could retell a familiar story.  Students could create addition/subtraction stories.  Students could create an "All About Me" book. Any questions?

Other Tools That We Have Tried and Like: Story Jumper: o  Publish your own children's book! You can build your own book and draw your own illustrations. ToonDo: o  Cool and easy way to create your own cartoons! Twisty Noodle: o  Lots of free coloring pages. Microsoft Photostory 3 (for Windows only): o  Free software tool (already on FBISD computers) that you can use to bring digital pictures to life. A great resource to check out:

Sources and nTeaching-Final.pdf a /leungrw/CopyrightPresentation.pdf for-storybird/ for-storybird/

Thanks For Coming! You can find all of our handouts and our presentation on our classroom blogs: Cindy Shieh's classroom blog: shiehclassroom.weebly.com Kathy Hsu's classroom blog: mshsusclassroom.weebly.com You can also contact us at: Cindy Shieh, Drabek Elementary School, Kathy Hsu, Barrington Place Elementary,