Digital Storytelling

This week's topic was Digital Storytelling with a very open-ended assignment. We could choose from 50 different tools to create a short story. I decided to use Tikatok to create the web-based story. It's a very simple program to use, and you can order a copy of the book when you're finished.

For starters, you can either start a book from scratch or use a given template to create a story. Even when you start the story from scratch, you can add a picture, text, or change the page color with the click of the mouse. You can scan and upload your own drawings to use on the pages, also. It is very simple for younger children to use and create their own stories.

One thing that I like about Tikatok is how the web story looks like a real book. It even has a dedication page and "about the author" section, both of which will make children feel like they're making a real book like they'd see at the store or the library. A lesson using this program could be open-ended, allowing students to write about whatever topic they want.

What I dislike most about the program is that when you try and preview the book as a pdf, it has a watermark across the pages so you can't print them. The only way to properly see the book is to order a copy. Which is great if parents of your students want to order copies of the book, but that costs money (which not all parents are able to spend on a homemade book). This might be a good idea to use at the end of the year to showcase all that the students have learned in school, especially because they can write about whatever subject they want.