Jump Start The Writing Process With StoryJumper.com

Everyone loves a good story, and now students of all ages can write their own using storyjumper.com. Students can customize their stories using their original ideas or use storyjumper.com's templates which provide settings or pictures of characters to prompt students to write original storylines. Storyjumper.com gives students several publication options. Students can embed their stories in a website, share it through social media, print a paper copy, or purchase a hard copy. For $24.95, students can purchase a copy of their storybook including a hard cover and pages in color.  Storyjumper.com has an intuitive interface students of all ages can easily use. There is tool bar at the top of the screen showing each individual page of the storybook in a timeline format. On the left of the storyjumper.com screen, students have several options for their story: Props, Scenes, Photos and Text. Each of these tabs have pre-selected options organized by theme, or students can choose to upload their own pictures of people and places to personalize their storybook even more. In the scenes tab, students can choose different settings or upload their own picture of a place and time to add that personal touch.  Of coure, all of these props, scenes, photos and text can be edited or resized to create a desired effect.

How much fun it would be to have students take their own pictures of people and places in their community, or even from places they have visited and incorporate these images into a story.

Storyjumper.com is not just a elementary tech tool. I can see the potential for middle or high school students to use Storyjumper.com to retell a complex plot using the page timeline. In chronological order each of the pages could help them retell the most important plot events, climax, falling action and denouement of a piece they may be having difficulty reading. 

Storyjumper.com has a free sign-in and provides various handouts for helping teachers teach plot and character development. Storyjumper.com not only jumpstarts students' attitude toward writing, it also encourages students to use their imagination and creativity. 

Check out my storyjumper.com story at http://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/5182782/-It-Came-From-Outer-Space- ! Watch the tutorial video by eduTeacher! Let your class jump right in to WRITE their own story!

Student Writing Soars With Storybird!

Soar to new heights with Storybird.com, a site that allows students to create, collaborate, read, and share their own stories. Storybird.com has thousands of art pieces arranged by themes. Students select a theme or piece of art to inspire them to write a story.

Students can invite collaborators to share the writing of a story. 

Storybird.com also has a public library for visitors to read stories others have created. 

Students can create reading lists of their favorite Storybird stories. 

Best of all Storybird serves as a publisher! Students can publish their stories privately or publicly online or in hard copy. The site is entirely free, but for a reasonable price, parents can order soft or hard cover of books their children create, or you can order a PDF version of a story to read on an e-reader or iPad.

Storybird encourages collaborative writing and supports all aspects of the writing process. Its features are easy, intuitive and safe. There are endless possibilities for using Storybird to support reading instruction as well. Regardless of age or grade level, storybird.com's art work inspires anyone to be a connected reader and writer!  

Storybird Quick Tour from Storybird on Vimeo. Here is a story I wrote about technology using storybird.com! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it! The Purple People and the Elephant by firstclasstutoring on Storybird