The assignment to make a story book, using an online book making website, is an awesome idea.
My partner, Janice, and I were not sure what our subject should be. Then we decided to just present ourselves, as our lives, our hometowns (villages) are pretty different. After we got over our initial jitters over how to do it and where to start, I think that we had fun.
The website, Mixbook.com, is laid out fairly well, and is easy to use. I love all the choices for page layouts, page back rounds, and the decorative stamps. I went from being unsure if the finished product would be what I pictured in my mind-to being very satisfied with the finished product.
I do not like the prompts on every page that ask you to order the book. As an adult, I can choose to ignore that aspect of the website, I am not sure what to do to mask it for use with kids.
I love the idea of using the website to make books for use in the classroom. We use books of photographs of classmates, sort of a classroom yearbook, to help facilitate verbal interaction between students in our classroom. We have not found a more powerful tool than a book full of pictures of classmates interacting, and sharing daily activities. If we were able to use this website to make books to use in the classroom, possibly to also send them home so students could practice verbal interaction with their families-it could be a powerful tool. (Because, if students have the pictures for the parents to use as a starting place to start a conversation, the parents can then help further verbal skills.) For older students to use this website, I think could be powerful for them. They could document the group efforts that went into a project, they could use it to make an 'instructional manual' to teach a skill or lesson-the possibilities are endless. I think that I might want to use it with upper elementary aged students, right up through high school.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I thought your and Janices's idea for the online storybook was great because it is so informational and just a awesome way to compare and contrast. I also agree with that this is a powerful tool and has many potential applications. I especially liked the yearbook and instructional manual ideas. Also thanks for the encouraging comment that you posted on my blog. :)
ReplyDelete