Rock Cycle Photo Story

I chose to create a digital story that I would use as a teacher to present to my students. I have been interested in this form of lesson since I was asked to create a digital story in my TE 401 class last semester. I ended up using a digital story about Michigan Statehood in a lesson I taught to a fourth grade class. It is really beneficial to be able to incorporate visual and oral stimuli into a lesson and this is what the digital story offers. The first time I created a digital story I used a different program. This was my first time using VoiceThread. At first it was confusing, however as I became more familiar with the website it was pretty straight forward to use. I think the VoiceThread tool is great for first time photostory creators and I like that you can also incorporate video into the story, even though I didn't chose to try it.

There are many different things that teachers can use photostory programs for in their classrooms. Not only does it create a orally and visually stimulating lesson tool, but it is also something that can be used by students. In many classrooms that I have been in, teachers incorporate jigsaws, in which groups of students are responsible for teaching a topic to the rest of the class. A photo story could be used by students to teach their topic while including their voices into the presentation. Sometimes students have trouble speaking in front of the class and this could be a good way for them to transition. By recording ahead of time, some of the anxiety is lessened. I can see photostories taking the place of powerpoints in some situations because of the extras that can be added, such as voice and video. Teachers can also use photostories to highlight student work to place on a blog for parents and administrators. The opportunities are limitless, teachers just need to do some exploring.