Writing Web Tool: Myths and Legends E2BN

Myths and Legends is a website that allows students to create and view animated tales of legend and lore. Students have the option of sharing with the world their folk tale, myth, or legend. Teachers can register their class for free. Students can create stories for free.

If you register your class, you will be able to review their work before it's submitted. So if there are things that either inappropriate, inaccurate, or incorrect, you can have them fix those areas before allowing them to publish their stories.

Students can either sign up with their own account, or you can sign up each student.

Be fair warned, there are some cartoon blood elements to the animations. So if you're sensitive or believe your students might be sensitive to that you may want to investigate deeper before registering your class.

Myths and Legends E2BN

I found the interface to be rather simple. Most of the animation and scene selection is drag and drop. If students can mainupulate images and objects with Microsoft Word, they should be able to handle the story creator interface.  Students can choose from a menu of backgrounds, characters, and sounds. Student have an option of uploading their own images too. There are speech bubbles that students can add and edit. Students can use pre-loaded sound effects to add even more drama to their stories. They can even record their own voice reading the story. Addionally, students can upload their own MP3 audio and sound files to use in their stories.

I could see this website as a place to show examples of student created writing. It could also be used as a place to showcase student writing. I could also see it being used as a way to critique written work as well.

It's a creative outlet to say the least. I hope you get a chance to look at Myths and Legends soon.

For a sample, watch Pandora's Box.

Graphic Organizers: Time For Kids

Time For Kids (TFK) has a wonderful collection of free graphic organizers that I know you'll love. They are so great they deserved their own post. I've posted about TFK's non-fiction writing resources before. If you haven't checked that part of TFK, make sure you do I think you'll like what they have to offer.

TFK provides graphic organizers for different grade levels. There are organizers for K-1, 2, 3-4, and 5-6.

It's an impressive compilation of writing helpers. Give it a look.

Informational Writing Helper: Time for Kids

We've been told that expository and informational writing are the bigger foci in standardized tests these days. Doug Reeves, as told by Kathy Gilbert, has noted that non-fiction writing is one of the common threads of students who academic success.

With that in mind, I wanted to share with you a non-fiction writing guide from Time For Kids. Non-fiction writing genres include:

• Compare and Contrast
• News Story
• Biography
• Persuasive Essay
• Personal Narrative
• How-to Articles
• Research Papers

Time For Kids provides step by step guides, model papers, and graphic organizers for your students. The model papers include notations on the margins of the piece. The notations draw attention to the elements of a solid non-fiction piece. The guides even have a downloadable checklist that students can use to reflect on their writing.

With a little more investigation of the website, you'll notice a link for Tips from Experts, and a Writer's Toolbox. Tips from Experts features how to write a great introductions, conclusions, and more. The Writer's Toolbox includes a thesaurus and dictionary among other things.

Give it a look, I think you'll like it.

Scholastic Story Generator

Maybe you've been here before. It's writing time in your classroom. You spot a student exhibiting these behaviors:

First sign: The deer in the headlights stare.
Second sign: The pencil doesn't move.
Third, fourth, and fifth signs: The sudden urgency to get a drink, use the bathroom, and then snap the lead of the pencil for the sole purpose of getting to leave the seat again to sharpen it. Then, the inevitable phrase...

Student: I don't know what to write.
You: You don't say?
Student: I don't have any good ideas.
You: You have nothing to fear. I've got just the tool you've been searching for. I couldn't help but notice you were looking in all the wrong places: the bathroom, the drinking fountain, and the pencil sharpener. You didn't find it there did you? No. Let me show you what you've been looking for, and where you can find it. It's called Scholastic Story Starters, it's right here on the computer, and it's been waiting for you.


I have a card stock flip book in my classroom that gives students writing ideas by providing a character, a situation, and an action. My students love to use it when they have full on "writer's block". It got me thinking that there had to be an online version of a story generator like the one we have in the room. Sure enough, there is, and it's called Scholastic Story Starters, and it's so much more than a story generator.

Story Starter is pretty straight-forward. You type in your name. You choose your grade level (which correspond to writing standards and offers suitable options for different age groups). The next step is where the fun begins, the story starter machine appears on the screen. There are four buttons that correspond with sections that are randomly generated by the machine. Here is a small list of the 4-6 grade options:
1. Writing Format: list of characteristics, T.V. commercial, a newspaper ad, myth, birthday card, etc.
2. Descriptor/Adjective: greedy, handsome, awkward, horrible, chivalrous, stubborn, etc.
3. Character: screenwriter, monkey, cantaloupe, Venus flytrap, rock star, etc.
4. Situation: talks in rhyme, discovers a secret city, wins the lottery, discovers a talking frog, etc.

You have some freedom at this point. You can pull the big SPIN handle to randomly select all four sections at once, or you can choose to change as many or as few options you wish by clicking each button separately. The first time I used it, Story Starter created a zany and wonderful writing idea. This is what I got: Write a list of characteristics about an awkward rock star who only talks in rhyme.

Scholastic Story Starter Machine

It didn't take long for me to begin a list in my notebook. When I was done, I had an amazingly interesting character who alone conjured up several story ideas.

Now, you can stop using Story Starter at this point and return to your writing journal, or you can move on to the next step, and choose a format like, newspaper article, letter, postcard, or notebook. Upon making your choice, you arrive at another page where you can type your story directly onto the page, draw a picture (optional), and then print it.

Oh, by the way, if you have an interactive whiteboard, Story Starter is compatible!

Scholastic has a great teacher's guide article about using Scholastic Story Starters in the classroom. It has wonderful ideas and some handy resources. I urge you to give it a look.

I hope you can use this tool in your classroom soon! I know you'll love it, and more importantly, so will your students!

Start Blogging by Using Blogger

Blogging in the classroom is easy, and more and more blog services are catering to educators because teachers around the world are finding out that blogging is educational and fun. Students tend to take more care with their work when they know it will be read by a wider audience than themselves and their teacher. If you're looking for an easy way to get your students writing more on the web, then a blog is an idea you should consider.

*Before I move on, if you are new to the whole blogging thing, please watch the short video I shared in my first post on Web Writers.

What Is It?
Let's begin with the blog host for Web Writers, Blogger. Blogger is a Google product. Not too long ago Google has put a lot of attention toward creating and tweaking web-based tools for educators.

Blogger is quick, easy, and highly customizable. Blogger allows only those you invite to view or respond. You can also open it up to the public completely. If you choose this option you should monitor the comments before the comments appear on the blog.

Key Features

• Free to use
• Easy to use
• Has a lot of design options
• Levels of security/privacy are up to you
• Easy to upload images
• Supports collaborative work

For more information on Blogger visit this link and this link.

Writing Web Tool: Storybird

I've used the Storybird writing web tool in my classroom many times, and with wonderful results. If you'd like your students to create a picture book on the web that you can share, and even make a paper copy of, you might like Storybird.

Storybird is a free interactive and collaborative writing web tool. It is easy to use and your students get rewarding results while having fun and learning!

Adding text couldn't be easier. You simply type the text and move it to where you want it go on the page. Images are added in much the same way, they are easily dragged and dropped on the page. The artwork available to students will not only inspire creative prose, but they are highly interesting and diverse enough to suit different tastes. Your students will be creating digital books in no time and enjoying themselves while they're at it.

A more advanced feature allows students to collaborate on a writing piece. Johnny can add to the story at home, while Sally adds to it the next day in the computer lab.

There are several different ways for students to share their writing pieces. My students' creations are embedded on our wiki site for peers and parents to enjoy. For more information on sharing and book printing details please follow this link.

Storybird allows students to create beautiful pieces with very few barriers. My students' reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. The best thing about these tools is that even my most reluctant writers are excited to write.

It could be for that reason alone to include these educational technology tools in your teaching toolbox.

Watch this short video below for a quick tour of Storybird.


Storybird Quick Tour from Storybird on Vimeo.

Today's Pencil

Today's Pencil

Are you looking for a place that will help you guide your students to write on the web? Perhaps you're looking for a resource that gives you writing ideas, or are you looking for a place to share your great writing ideas?  Maybe you want to find out the coolest writing-based web tools available?

If this sounds like you, you've found the right place.

This blog is a place for teachers who are looking for ways to get their students writing on the web. Here you will find a wide variety of postings. Here is a sample of what you can expect:

• Engaging and useful web tools that make writing on the web fun and easy
• Get yourself, and your class blogging
• Writing ideas
• How-To guides for creating, sharing, and archiving student writing

Why?
The inspiration for this blog came from a day spent enjoying Kathy Gilbert's talk on Common Core Writing, I heard from many teachers who were looking to get their students writing using technology.  I graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Masters in Educational Technology. Using technology in the classroom is a passion of mine. I felt I could help in this area, so I created this blog.

What You Can Do
One of the easiest ways to use this blog is to read about what interests you. Then you should try out the ideas. If you are "newbie" that's great! This is the place for you. If you are a seasoned technology user, equally great! This is a place for you also.

There is little to fear. There is no pressure here. Take baby steps if you need to. Don't try to cram all of these new ideas in all at once. Try what you like best, but do try. If you can begin to incorporate even a little technology in your students' writing you are making a bigger difference than when you weren't...right?

So, breath easy. Take your time. But push yourself to try some of these tools. Then tell us about your experience by commenting on the post. Together we can make teaching with technology a lot easier.

After all, technology is a tool that is supposed to make our lives easier. The simple pencil was once new technology...what would we do with out pencils today?

Watch the short video below that explains what a blog is.

I hope you will find this blog useful to your teaching. Enjoy!



Blogs in Plain English - by Commoncraft from James Hollis on Vimeo.