The tool that I chose is called Kerpoof. I chose this particular tool because it said that this site is now owned by Disney. This caught my eye so I clicked on the site to take a look. I thought the site was easy-to-use and would tell my story properly and efficiently. Although, the tool impacted how much detail I could use in the story. The space the user is given to work with is not too big, so I had to keep my ideas concise. It had the same format as a children’s book, which made me feel like too many words or pictures would make it seem too messy and confusing. If this tool had a voice option, I may have chosen to elaborate on the story. However, I liked how the story is concise; it makes the message more effective.
I would use this tool as a way to introduce students to new content. It is effective in showing key information in an interesting and unconventional way, especially in high school. This tool would also be a great educational tool for students to use themselves. I could imagine students creating short digital stories to “Hamlet” or “To Kill a Mockingbird”. This tool can help students conceptualize main ideas and themes found in stories, and it is great way to get them engaged too. Because this is a free program to use, students can just create a quick site identification using their email address and start using the site right away.
Even though the digital story uses images and formats that look like a children’s book, I think students of all ages can benefit from this authoring tool. It helps with organizing information and creating original content. I felt motivated to play around with the tools to create the story that I wanted. It allowed me to be creative. However, a negative aspect is that the images provided are limited, but users are able to draw their own images if necessary. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and I liked the finished product. It looks professional, and I can share it with others too.
For a closer look at my experience with Kerpoof, visit my Digital Story section. There is a specific link to the digital story that I created.
Link? Name of tool?