This is a quote from this week’s Practical Aid Tech Tip of the Week newsletter. This week, Newsletter subscribers received a PDF outlining ten ideas and tools for storytelling with pictures.
WriteReader is a great tool for elementary school students to use to create image-based stories. WriteReader has two distinct features that I always point out to new users. First, it allows teachers to respond directly to each word they write. Second, WriteReader has a huge library of images, including some popular programs from Sesame Street, that can be used to write prompts. WriteReader has a Google Classroom integration that makes it easy for your students to create picture-based stories. Watch this video to learn how to use WriteReader.
Make talking pictures
ChatterPix Kids is one of my favorite digital storytelling apps for elementary school students to use. The free app is available in the form of an iPad and an Android. To use the app, students simply open it on their iPads or Android device and then take a picture. Once they take a picture, the students draw faces on their pictures. In the face space the students then record themselves talking for up to thirty seconds. The recording is then added to the image and saved as video on the student’s iPad or Android device. A tutorial on how to use both versions of the app can be seen here.
Picture yourself in front of any landmark
There are many free tools to remove the background from any image you own. Use these tools to quickly remove the background from your picture. Once the background is removed you can take your own image and layer it on a new background image. Like PowerPoint on the canvas, it has a built-in feature. The process on canvas is described in this video. The process of using PowerPoint to remove and replace image background is described in this video.