Thing 5: Digital Storytelling

I am going to keep this post short and sweet. A few years back, when I was working as a SLMS in the Schodack school district, I participated in an afterschool workshop with Polly during which she presented us with new tools to use in our libraries. I believe the workshop was called "Web 2.0." Many of the tools I learned were part of Thing 5, so I bypassed Animoto, Prezi, and Glogster, which I have tried before, and went to Toondoo, where I played with and created a cute little cartoon. It is unrelated to anything academic, but it was fun to make. And it's based on a true story ;)

I can see this being a really wonderful tool to use in classrooms to work on narration and sequence, and I also like the idea of using it in non-fiction applications, such as the given example of a life-cycle. For students who are really into graphic novels and comics, this gives them a chance to play with making their own. It was easy to create an account and the free version has lots of features. You can share your toondoo creations on Facebook, make your 'toons private, share only with friends, or add to the public gallery (I did this one). You can invite feedback and allow for editing, or opt not to.