BP#5_20091002_Web_2.0

I researched many sites. As a matter of fact, I got so engrossed into what I was doing that I lost all track of time! It was really hard to come up with only 3 of my favorites. So, here is the 1st of the 3 Web 2.0 tools I will be reporting on.

1. www.storysomething.com- Storysomething is a personalized and customized storytelling site that busy parents can use use to write interesting stories for and about their children. Stories can be told using your cell phones or the web itself. I found that this particular tool was mostly for busy parents who did not have time to read to their children like they would like to. Storysomething makes bedtime stories easy. All parents have to do is record their personal story for their children and wha-la, a personalized, custom bedtime story their child will remember forever.

I didn't get a chance to play around with storysomething because it is a new site, so it was not up and running. But, as a teacher I saw that the site did have educational value and it did capture my interest enough for me to bookmark it so that I can visit it periodically to see if the site has been launched. I can not wait until it does! It's almost like waiting to open presents at Christmas. I am thinking it will be totally worth the wait.

As an educator, I believe Storysomething will be the perfect site for me. I am planning to use it to write stories that would relate to the content I am teaching. I will also use it so that my students can write their own stories. Another idea I plan on using is I am teaching about text features. My 2nd grade students are having a hard time grasping the importance of captions. My plan is to post a picture and my students will have to use storysomething to write or record a caption that would relate to that particular picture. Here's an example.

There was an old lady who lived in a shoe

She was so tired she didn't know what to do

Using storysomething, educators can have students write or records customized stories about their families, combine them into a class audio book that can be viewed during an open house or a PTA meeting with classroom visitations. Image how proud their parents would be seeing the final produce being shared with others. Imagine the boost of confidence that child would have sharing his/her life story with friends.

In Science, we are learning about animal habitats. I plan on having my students research the habitat and write or records their findings. For instance, if there is a child researching the layers of the Tropical Rain Forest, that child can write a story about the layers by describing them and the types of animals that reside there.

Even though I have not been able to play around with this Web 2.0 tool, I would highly recommend it because it does have potential to become something great!