Storybird

Based on a Blog by Lisa M. Dabbs, M.Ed. ,with Stephen Davis, and Aviva Dunsinger

Original Publication Date:  7/19/11 

Storybird is an online web 2.0 application that allows users to create and collaborate on “art inspired” (Davis, 2011) stories.  Stephen Davis, a Middle School teacher in California, uses Storybird as a drafting tool, much like a storyboard application, to “draw the essay” (Davis, 2011)  prior to actually writing the essay.  Using Storybird allows students with limited artistic ability to feel more comfortable “drawing” their essay so that they can focus on the actual story.  Students are able to drag and drop images from the available image library into their story.  In addition, “abstract thoughts and emotions students could not express easily come to the surface” (Davis, 2011).  The collaborative ability of the site allows other students to comment and since authors may make the story is available on the web, either publicly or privately, students have access to their storybird at home and can use it to type the essay at home.  The option of keeping the story private should help protect students from potential predators.  This is a great non-traditional use of an online digital storytelling application.

Dabbs, L., Davis, Stephen, & Dunsinger, A. (2011, July 19). Summer pd: new teacher boot camp week 3 - using storybird [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/storybird-new-teacher-boot-camp-lisa-dabbs