I am so happy that we were given this assignment! For so long I have been thinking about how to incorporate more technology into my classroom and with this assignment I was finally able to. Even though this technology was incorporated because of a class assignment, I feel like the effect is really lasting! My kids love using Story Jumper and can't wait to use it next... which is awesome because they can't wait to finish their pre-write graphic organizers and sentence strips, so they can move on to the Story Jumper part of the project.
This process has also been motivational for them to make their writing better. I can hear them talking about how they are going to use the scenes, props, and characters as they work. I'm really impressed with my students. They were able to shift from watching me model and create a project to being able to create their own online digital storybook by the end of the week.
It's a good thing I was able to reserve the mobile computer lab, otherwise it would have taken a long time just to get my students trained and familiar with the program. I was glad that I had incorporated some exploration time into each lesson because I had to find out the hard way that the school-site firewalls were interfering with the logging-in process, so I just had my students use the homepage access that doesn't save until I could figure out what was going on. I didn't realize that it was an issue until I kept getting an error message on-site, but not at home. I was able to work it out with our tech support on campus and he helped me throughout the whole week.
After everything was all said and done, I finally got around to showing my principal what my class had done. He was so impressed and excited that I was incorporating writing with technology that he asked if I could present this website/program to the rest of the staff and train anyone who needed help. Of course, I agreed...so now I'm just waiting to see when he would like me to present. I can't wait to try something new! :)
TITLE: Jumpstart Storytelling Through StoryJumpers.com
Name: Jessica Isla
Brief Overview: Having trouble getting your kids to find the motivation to be creative with their writing? Look no further! Story Jumper is where it’s at! Transform their simple paper and pencil stories into digital masterpieces…with just a few clicks of a button.
1. Target Audience–My learners are going to be my 1st grade SEI class. We will be incorporating Story Jumper into our weekly Computer Lap routine and it will supplement our writing lessons.
2. Materials–
·Creative Students
·Pencils
·Paper
·Writing Samples
·Computers
·Lab Time
·Folders of stock photos pre-installed on lab computers
·URL links to images that students can use on my teacher webpage
3. Objectives–
·Student will be able to create a digital storybook using complete simple sentences. (Noun + Verb + Prepositional Phrase)
·Students will be able to design a digital storybook that represents their writing sample using images and complete simple sentences. (Noun + Verb + Prepositional Phrase)
4. Procedure–
1)Make sure each student has a writing sample (short story) to use to create their digital storybook project
2)Have each student draw up a storyboard for what they want to include in their digital storybook (complete with a catchy title)
3)Take as many Computer Lab sessions as needed to complete the digital storybook (4 pages minimum and up to 16 pages maximum)
4)Have students create their backgrounds (per page) first
5)Add characters and “props” (Story Jumper term) to help build a visual representation of the storyline
6)Add the text/sentences (story content) last
7)Make sure that the books are read and re-read to ensure that they read correctly before saving the file for publishing (Keep in mind that the student can change/modify any story even after it has been saved)
8)Preview the completed digital storybook by clicking the advance arrows (Edit/Change/Modify project as needed)
5. Emerging Technology– Story Jumper enhances student writing by allowing users to manipulate images and text to create a digital storybook.
6.Social Participation/Social Learning– In order to complete a digital storybook, I will be pairing my students up by writing abilities (Proficient/High & Basic/Medium OR Basic/Medium & Below Basic/Low). This will allow for students to support each other while collaborating to create a short story. After the storyline is complete, each pair/group will design a storyboard with quick sketches to represent the background scenery. Once the drafts are complete, students can then move on to the interactive computer part of the project. It is important that each student in the group has a designated job so that they are held accountable for their part of the project. This will also help support students by giving them a choice in what role they want to take. If a student is stronger in the creativity department, but not in the grammar department, than they can take lead when trying to figure out their storyline.
When students have reached the computer portion of the project, they will be responsible for taking turns creating each set of pages (1 illustration page and 1 text page). This will ensure that each student is working fairly and getting the same amount of online creation time. Once the digital storybook is complete, the pair/group will present their book to the class using the LCD projector. As an added bonus, students can record their voices telling their story and a short video can be made of the pages being turned with an added voiceover.
7. Making Connections– Throughout the RILS connections are being made to help support a deep understanding of the content standards, as well as a deep understanding of the various feature that Story Jumper has to offer. Since part of the project is connected to our writing process, each student will already have prior knowledge as to what is expected from the story writing perspective. I will also show the class the 2 examples that I have made, so that they have an idea of what the final product should look like. By allowing the pairs/groups to come up with their own topics, students will create a short story that is meaningful and personally relevant to them. Upon completion, each pair/group will share their digital storybook with the class—allowing them to make connections with a local audience.
1. Create/Produce– The product will be a digital storybook that is designed and created through the online program, Story Jumper.
2. Assessment– The writing portion of the RILS Story Jumper project will be aligned with the 1st grade Writing Rubric and the online digital storybook portion will be assed using a 15-point system (5 points per category: Text, Images/Props, and Background Scenery). I will know if objectives are being met if:
1)Students have written a short story that contains complete sentences and grade-level spelling
2)Images are being used in the digital storybook and they are on topic
3)Backgrounds are being used in the digital storybook and they are on topic
4) The TOTAL score should be 12 points or above
3. Reflection–
oAll students will participate in a quick write upon completion of their online digital storybook. There will be questions/prompts that must be addressed.
oAll educators/trainers will fill out a survey that has questions regarding the teaching experience, as well as what are any suggestions for improvement.
After using Story Jumper for a little while now, I’m beginning to really enjoy its features more and more. At first, I felt as if it were too simple and it didn’t have enough depth to keep my students’ attention and interest, but as I’ve had more time to work with it I have realized that this can be a great addition to my curriculum and yearlong teaching routine.
When I first began using Story Jumper I was so exited and had so many ideas running through my head. Then, I began to doubt if my students would stay interested in the program or engaged in it long enough to complete a project. I mean, I know that kids love to use the internet and they love to use clip art to create pictures, but I didn’t really know how interested they would be in the long run using it long term. But, when I began exploring the features myself… it was like a never-ending treasure chest. I can upload images of my own from a camera, use images from a pre-stocked file folder that you select yourself from various locations, or search for images on the Internet and have instant access after downloading them to your desktop.
Below is a screen shot of the images that I took with my camera and uploaded to the Story Jumper image upload page. It’s very simple to do and I think my kids would have a great time taking their own images and using them in their projects.
So far I’m very impressed with this Web 2.0 tool… The sky’s the limit!
Here's the Tutorial video that I made for my class to watch before using the program. Enjoy!
I’m really excited to be introducing Story Jumper to my class. We have computer lab for 45 minutes each week and I want to try to incorporate this program into our weekly lab routine and (hopefully) our writing routine from now until the end of the school year. I think that Story Jumper will not only enhance my students’ writing skills, but it will also help my students advance their technology skills (e.g. typing and internet navigation skills).
I created a Story Jumper version of one of the stories that I read to my students this week. The story is called, “Hilda Hen’s Scary Night.” As I have been getting familiar with this program over the past couple of days, I have been really trying to work out any kinks and explore what Story Jumper has to offer. I really like the fact that I can import images from my own computer. This will allow me to scan images from our text to create Story Jumper books that are directly related to the curriculum that I am teaching! In my example, I didn't use any scanned images from the curriculum, but I created a Story Jumper book version of the curriculum using stock images because I wanted to check out the online image selection that this program has to offer. This is going to be FANTASTIC!
It is so exciting to be able to use technology in a way that is simple enough for my 1st graders to use. I can easily teach them simple steps on how to work the program and then give them some free time to allow them to explore new features. This will allow my students to figure the program out in a way that suits their needs. I can’t wait to be in the computer lab watching their reactions!
This program is great way to get emerging writers involved and motivated in the writing process. Some of my students are a bit hesitant to write because their skills are limited, but I can see myself assigning a pair/group project that can involve all levels of learners. Hopefully, I can use Story Jumper to really get my kids involved in the writing process (brainstorming, drafting, editing, and publishing).
I love that you can set up this program so that each student has a separate log-in and password. You can then print out a class roster with flyers to send home. The flyers have all of the log-in information and directions for accessing the program from home. I could eventually assign this for homework for those students that have online access at home and are ready to venture off independently. Otherwise, I can build the project into our school computer lab time and ensure there is enough modeled lessons and support for struggling writers.
I'm so excited to have found such a simple, interactive, and engaging program that I can use to supplement writing during school hours. Story Jumper definitely supports students by allowing them to express themselves in a creative and interactive way through writing and illustrating their stories (using online clipart) in a few easy steps.
STEP 1 - Open a new project STEP 2 - Add a scene STEP 3 - Add some props/photos STEP 4 - Add text STEP 5 - Save the story STEP 6 - Exit STEP 7 - Read final project
Here's a sample book that I quickly made to showcase the Story Jumper's features.
If you don't know about this great program...now you do! USE IT!
After completing the training videos I have, not only a sense of relief because they are over, but also a sense of accomplishment. I began the program unsure as to how to work iMovie (which was very intimidating when having to complete many assignments using videos) or any other movie editing program, but now I am comfortable and confident in my abilities. The more I explore the program, the more I love it! I have even offered my help and tech support to my fellow team members (The Best Team EVER!), as well as others in the cohort who were uncertain on how to do something.
I’m very excited to add this iMovie Certificate of Completion to my resumé because my school has a Technology Block embedded in our charter, so I know it will be put to good use. I’m slowly starting to explore the use of iMovie within my classroom and I recently shot footage of some my ELD kids performing a story that we read. I promised them that I would create a cool video using the footage, images of the book pages, and a soundtrack and I would share it with them when I was finished.
These training videos really allowed me to explore my previous experiences with iMovie during in Months 1-3 and apply my newly acquired skills to tap into the creativity to create a great classroom project for my students. I love the “Picture in Picture” feature because it allowed me keep the main focus (my students), while enhancing the video with the still images from the story book. In addition, I was pleased to know that I can export the final video in a variety of ways. This feature is great because it lets various people access your video using the different technologies that they might own (e.g. ipod, phone, computer, ipad, etc.). It’s important to have these different sizes so that it doesn’t take away from the quality of your video.
As I finished up the “Editing Video” section, I put my game face on! I feel like these last sections are where I will grow the most. As I reached the “Working with Effects” and “Working with Audio” sections of the training, I really became more interested. These were the features that I was dying to learn about and had very limited knowledge about.
After listening to the “Working with Effects” portion I decided to take a break and play with some video footage of my own. I had actually filmed kids from my ELD class retelling a story that we read as a whole class. They acted it out with little popsicle stick puppets and really put on a show. :)
So, taking my newly acquired knowledge I set out to create a video of them performing, while including still shots of the book pages. Looking back, my favorite part was learning that I could crop the video. I knew that still images could be cropped, but it never occurred to me that video could be cropped too! LOVE IT! After the video parts were pretty much done, I wanted to work on the audio. I tried to mask the background noises (of all the other kids practicing the story) by adding a soundtrack and realized that I had a perfect segue into watching the next portion of training videos.
I’m so glad that I stopped and took a break from my video! I would have spent so much extra time trying to figure out how to get rid of the other children’s voices in the background OR I would have just left the music and hoped that no one noticed. :P The Lynda.com iMovie training video was a life saver…well, more like a totally TIME SAVER! After going through the original video, it took me like 5 minutes to adjust the sound levels to the correct settings. HOORAY!
