At the top of creativity!

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Hello again!

Because we have lots of opportunities for creating a businesslike atmosphere in our classes, I have an example that we can use in our class. This is a  web site and called storybird. With this site you can create your own stories and publish them also use in your classroom. We will learn more in detail about this useful site. 

First you can start with signing up. This is totally free. Even you haven’t signed up you can create a story but you cannot save it. But you can do something good like reading stories other users’ created before. Because our aim is to create a new one let us sign up. I create a student account. But as a teacher we can create a teacher account, after you create your account you can give your students a classroom code, their works will be appeared on your page and they can see each others' products. But you should pay for it. 

After signing up you can create a new story. As a story we have two options: long form and picture book. In the long form you add less picture, more text; in the other one, less text and more pictures. We have poetry section, in this section you choose a picture, then related words are listed you can combine them and create your work.

After choosing the picture you want
you can use the picture for your work.

First I create a picture book. Then I begin to create my story. After I choose the picture, put that picture in the page and write the rest whatever I want. I can add more pages, change their order or delete. When all the pages are done, the cover page should be designed.  As  I said before if you want to publish your story you can see the choice as 'public' but if you don’t, you can click on ' private.'

Here is the link for this work which is so simple example of a picture book.

For the long form, like the picture book, you chose the image you want and begin to write your story. You can add chapters and write as you want.

You can see from here the introduction of a longform story.

For the poem as I mentioned before, you choose a picture, then some words come automatically. You combine them and have fun.
You can see this poem example from here.

You can see your own products from ‘you-your staff’ section. If it is necessary you can change them an also rewrite them. You can share via e-mail and link. But if you want to download or print, you should pay for it. 

Okay we have learned how to use but what can be done for a learning activity? Let us create some activities.

First determine a topic:

• After school, Jessica and Tom want to do something.

Give some specific ideas about the story, tell students: 

• Write a plan for them
• Use 4 of these words in your story:
• Think, happy, sad, tough, enough, teacher, turn back, outside, wait, calm down.
• After you finish, send me via e- mail.

Another example:

Last week you lectured the simple past tense and you are certain they understand well. 

You can want them to write a memory which they felt so happy and determine borders like one page long etc. 

Maybe this is not a creative activity but activities like this develop students knowledge. You can adapt this kind of activities to lots of topics. 

For a creative one we can give a homework like:

Give a prompt:

• One day, sally was so sad. Her mother came to her and said: ‘what happened sally, why are you sad?’…..  (Continue this introduction and think a solution for Sally to be happy. )

You should give more specific guidelines for them because it is hard to write someting without knowing what is supposed to do. Be clear when you give any assignments.

With the help of storybird  they can:

• write their routines, wishes, 
• introduce a cartoon character 
• rewrite a story which is written by known authors,
• create their utopias so on an so forth...

As you see there are lots of activities can be created. You can say that 'I can give like these assignments without using this site and I can say that ‘write your stories on a paper or word document.’' Is it the same? I think it is not. In this site you see lots of images to create a new story also you can see your other stories and see differences before and now. This is so motivating. Also we can use for all age groups, according to their level different activities can be created.

What are the advantages?

• Students’ creativity is developed.
• Writing is fun.
• Writing and reading skills are improved.
• They can learn new vocabularies and idioms from others’ stories.
• Homework is more meaningful. 

As I always mention it is important to use creative tools in the classroom. Otherwise there is no difference between robots and us. If we conduct a lesson and go, this wouldn’t be fair. Enriching our techniques and classroom activities is beneficial for students and teachers. See you…