Storybird Collaborative Storywriting

Hello all. This morning, as my nanny is taking care of my son for the first day, and he's wailing because he doesn't know where mommy is (I'm in the basement), I am checking out some Web 2.0 tools for everyone. Trying not to cry and go upstairs, that is.

The tool is called Storybird. It's a web-based tool (no software) and of course it's free. This tool lets kids make short, simple stories that can actually be collaborated upon with others. Two or more people can make one together and take turns adding text and inserting pictures. It's a great way to get kids to work collaboratively on a sequential story, having to add elements that make sense.

Another great use would be for older students (say, fourth grade) to create a story about a scientific process in a way that explains it to younger kids that may study the same topic at an easier level. Say the Kindergarteners usually study animals in winter environments. The fourth graders study endangered species. The older students create a storybird for the Kindergarteners to read!Third grade could do the same with a solar system unit, when Kindergarteners learn about space transportation.

Take the video tour on Storybird.

There are also many, many more collaborative Web 2.0 tools suggested by the Technology and Learning article "Top Web Tools for Enhancing Collaboration" from November 2010.