StoryJumper
The first Web 2.0 tool that I found that was one of my favorites was StoryJumper.
StoryJumper is a website where students can create their own story books and have them come to life. The website is designed to let the creator take full control of what's going on with the book that the are creating, from background scenes, words, pictures, characters, etc. The books can be created into audio books, ebooks, paperback books, and hardback books for a very reasonable price. The hardback book is $24.99, the paperback book is $12.99, the ebook and audiobooks are priced at $2.99. The books take up to 2 weeks to deliver if ordered to the United States. There is a teacher version of StoryJumper that lets you create a class that your students can join so that you can access the books that they are creating if it is for a class project. Video chatting can be done via StoryJumper so that students can collaborate if working on the books from home. In the teacher setting, once students books are complete, they can be shared with their parents. The books can then be accessible with a link that the teacher can provide so that the students privacy can remain.
Overall, I think that this web 2.0 tool is a great tool to use in the classroom to give students an activity that is learning based, but also let them bring out their creative sides. The website is very easy to use and is very self explanatory. It is somewhat versatile in the aspect that it can be used for all lesson plan types. I think that they likelihood that I use this tool is my classroom is high. It's a great opportunity for students to get excited about reading, and they can be creative and come up with their own book ideas.
Link to the website: https://www.storyjumper.com/
Tutorial:
Example of a Book Created by a Student:
ABCya
The second web 2.0 tool that I really liked was ABCya.
ABCya is a educational gaming website. The website has many features that can be used for students in grades Pre-K to 6+. The games have 5 categories for each grade, letters, numbers, holiday, strategy, and skill. Each of these categories have specific games within them that help students learn more about each subject. One really awesome thing that the website contains is state standards. You can click this button, click the grade level, and what section you want to look at (ex: math), and it will list a bunch of state standards in that category and games that can help the student improve on that standard. This is something that I have yet to see on an educational gaming site, so this is awesome they incorporate this. It makes it east for teachers, because they can go in, select a state standard that needs to be worked on, and then have the students play this game. There is a free access that gives a limited amount of games that can be played, and there is also a family subscription that lets 5 devices get full access, and then there is a classroom subscription that allows 30 devices full access. The family subscription however is $5.83 a month, and the classroom subscription is $25.00 a month.
Overall, I really like this web 2.0 tool and think that it could be very beneficial in the classroom. The website is super easy to use and navigate through, and it is very versatile because there are games on it for many subjects. The likelihood of myself using this in my future classroom is very high because it is educational but is also fun for the students.
Link to the website: https://www.abcya.com/
Tutorial:
Example of a game that I like:
Katie Byers
Comments
When looking at the tools I also found Storyjumper to be very useful for the classroom. I liked how you went more in depth about the teacher version and how it can be used collaborative. Another tool you mentioned was ABCya. How would you use it in the classroom? Would you pair it with a lesson plan?
Story Jumper sounds like a great way for students to bring their own story-telling ideas to life. I especially love the idea that each book has multiple print/publish options. It's really cool that there's a video chat feature on Story Jumper as well, and that it is easy enough to use for students to figure out. Thank you for providing the tutorial and book example!
ABCya sounds like a very fun and versatile tool! That is so helpful that students can work on direct state standards and we can track their learning that way. The prices don't seem that bad either. Great post!
Your first choice of tool, Story Jumper, seems like such an engaging and hands on tool. I feel like kids would thoroughly love this website and it’s a great gateway into their love or interest for reading! I’ll definitely be looking more into this throughout my years as a teacher. Have you heard of this prior to this class?
Thank you. With ABCya I think it would be cool to give students a certain amount of time that is designated depending on the resources that the school I work at has. Like if we could rent a computer lab once a week, or use Chromebooks, or something of that nature so that students can get that educational practice but also have some fun.
Wow I had not thought about projecting the game onto the board so that everyone can be engaged and encourage each other when playing on the teachers computer. This not only builds the educational knowledge that they need, but also builds unity within the classroom. I did use a website called "Cool Math Games" throughout my years of schooling however, this site had many games on it that were not educational and I found myself goofing off quite often. This is why I like ABCya, all of the games are fun, but they all help students meet state standards and are beneficial to them.
Yes Story Jumper and ABCya are super interesting platforms that do come at a cost that I find reasonable.
I had not heard about this platform prior to this assignment but I think that it is such a cool website that students would love. I know that when I was in school I would love to create my own book and be creative with it!