You might think, after reading the previous post,
“Wow, what a cool idea for scrapbooking at home. But how in the WORLD could that fit into the classroom?”
Yes, I had these same thoughts when I was first introduced to the concept of Photostory. Well, ponder no more! Here are some ideas for using Photostory in YOUR classroom!
* You could take pictures on a field trip and upload them onto the computer. Students could create an album from Photostory to show off what they learned through the unit and connect it to what they saw on their field trips. Captions would reflect the pictures represented and the verbal communication could explain it in more detail.
* You could help students take pictures of things representing math in real life (ex: angles/lines around a park, decimals around town, geometrical shapes in various houses) to connect what they are learning to how it is used in real life. Students could work in pairs to create a photostory album on what is seen in each picture and the importance of understanding the math concept itself.
* You could create a folder of downloaded images (following copyright of course!) pertaining to Social Studies or Science units. Students could use these photos as an introduction to the unit (previewing and predicting) or a closure to the unit (before a test to show how much they know).
* Students could create creative stories (older grades could create them to share with younger buddies). The stories could incorporate real pictures, pictures created in a different resource or digital photos dowloaded from online. Obviously, they’d have to go through the editing process and create an outline for their story, but this would be a fun way to provide students with opportunities to express themselves in a new way!
The opportunities are vast for Photostory! The only struggle would be students who aren’t as practiced with a keyboard or mouse and getting computer lab time (as we all know that’s the biggest struggle of all!). If you could work past these setbacks, it would be a fabulous way to get those ‘reluctant writers’ a chance to show off their stuff!
