Niamke_StoryKit



= = = =  Welcome to Lesia Niamke's Technology Presentation on Using the App Storykit! .

I am a middle school language arts teacher at a private school in the inner city of Akron. I teach grades 5th - 8th. I am currently working on my PhD in Curriculum and Instruction. As I have noticed the impact that technology has on our society, I have become extremely interested in finding creative ways to implement technology into my language arts classes. I am taking technology classes to enhance my experience as an educator as I prepare students to become college and career ready in a digital world.

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= = The topic I selected for my presentation is using Storykit: A free mobile multimedia storytelling app.
 * [|Storykit]** is a multimedia storytelling mobile app . It allows its users to create electronic storybooks and share them with others . Storykit is a practical tool for teachers. They can use it to create their own storytelling books and share them with their students. Below you can watch the quick tutorial on how easy it is to use Storykit.

media type="youtube" key="RSWQkUS4kXk" width="420" height="315" align="center"

Tutorial on how to use the StoryKit app to create a digital story. This tutorial was created on a iPad using the SonicPics app. It is part of project created at the Apple Distinguished Educator Summer Institute at Full Sail University and retrieved from YouTube.
 * Uploaded on Jul 14, 2010**

Take a look at the step-by-step instructions on how to use Storykit: As featured [|On Google]

(Note: StoryKit was written for the iPod, so you will see a little round 2x button in the lower right corner. Tap the button to make StoryKit fill your screen. Your picture may be slightly blurry, but still very acceptable!)
 * 1) Find the pictures you want to use for the story.
 * 2) [|Here are instructions for adding pictures from your computer or the internet.]
 * 3) You can also take the pictures with your iPad's camera.
 * 4) Now that you have your pictures, you are ready to begin. Tap the StoryKit icon on your iPad. There are several stories already there for you. StoryKit will not read text, so these stories are only there for reference. You may delete them if you like. As you and your student's create more stories, they will be added to this page as new books.

We are going to write our own story, so we will tap the white box that says "New Book".
 * We start with a blank page. We can:
 * Take a picture
 * Use a picture from our Photo album
 * Add text to the page
 * Record our own voice
 * Paint and Draw
 * To add another page, we can click the Add button at the top of the page.
 * To rearrange our pages, click "Arrange" at the top right of the page viewer.

To take a picture, hold your iPad up and touch the little camera icon on your screen. when you are done, you can move and scale your photo. If you don't like it, you can select "Retake". When you are done, select "Use". Your picture will be added to your story page. To use a picture from your photo album, select the picture you want to use by tapping it. The picture will be added to your story page.

To type the words to your story, select the typing tool, and the keyboard will pop up. Enter your text, and then tap the "Edit" button at the top left. Your text will slide onto the page. You can move the text box up and down on your story page. If you want the text all the way at the bottom, you can hit Return all the way to the bottom of the text box when you are typing.

To record sound, tap the "Record" button at the bottom, record your sound (or have your students record it) and then tap "Stop" when you are done. You can play the sound back to see if you like it, and tap "Record" again if you don't.

When you are done, tap "Edit" to return to your page. Your sound will appear as a little speaker. You can move this speaker around on the page to place it where you want. While you are editing, you can playback the sound, but you will also have the option of deleting it. In your final story, you cannot delete the sound.

You can paint and draw on the screen by tapping the Brush to determine the size of the line, and Color to select from a palette.

If you are adding text or pictures to the page, you may want to add them first, so you know how much space you have to color/draw in.

When your story is done, you can share it by email. You will get a link that you can go to to view your story.



=Here are some articles that support the use of Storykit:=
 * 1) **[|Popular Apps Recommended by Teachers]**
 * 2) **[|Storykit]**
 * 3) **[|Review: Storykit]**
 * 4) **[|Storykit FAQ]**
 * 5) [|How to Install and Use Story Kit]
 * 6) [|Storykit Featured in 35 Favorite Free Apps for Teachers]

=**Great websites that demonstrate effective use of StoryKit:**=


 * 1) [|Teacher's website using Storykit]
 * 2) [|Step-by-Step Instructions]

=Content uses of this Storykit according to Ohio Technology Content Standards for Students:= [|Ohio Technology Content Standards for Students] 3. Technology Productivity Tools: • Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity and promote creativity; • Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, preparing publications and producing other creative works. 4. Technology Communication Tools: • Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish and interact with peers, experts and other audiences; • Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences. 5. Technology Research Tools • Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources; • Students use technology tools to process data and report results; • Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

All in all, this is a powerful tool to assist teachers with finding innovative ways to meet the Ohio Technology Content Standards for Students.

=Pedagogical Considerations for Storykit:= StoryKit is an app that can be used in more ways than you can imagine:
 * Communication device
 * Speech tool
 * Digital story teller
 * Art program
 * Conversation builder
 * Vocabulary builder
 * Social stories
 * Motivate shy speakers
 * Provide auditory feedback
 * Create a visual schedule
 * Sequencing skills

Storykit is a great tool for developing writing skills for all grade-levels. It is also an innovative way for students to incorporate technology into their daily learning while meeting the content standards for technology. Through Storykit students will develop an understanding the scope of technology while establishing the understanding of design while applying the design process. This is an effective tool because students can successfully achieve the skills according to design and abilities of a technological world which is in direct line with the state standards.

=Storykit is compatible with iPod touch, iPhone touch, and iPad. The great news is that it is FREE! Students and teachers can take advantage of this product.=