Apps for Story Writers (Elementary)

IPad Story Apps

In investigating iPad story apps you can see that there are basically two kinds:

Category 1-Open-ended iPad apps to tell stories using your images. These allow you to create your own story and use images, sound, and text in your own way

Category 2- iPad apps that guide you through the story making process with the help of steps, scenery, and props. These are often quite commercial and rather cutesy.

This is a list that divides the apps into each category.

Category 1-Open-ended iPad apps to tell stories

1. StoryKit Meant as an app to read stories, it has the capability for you to create stories. You can use photos or draw your own illustrations and write and record text. Here is a slideshare on Storykit with an example of a story.
2. Sonic Pics Another easy to navigate app that uses a series of photos with a recorded text. Read how Maria Caplin has used this app in this post.
3. Storyrobe An app that uses photos and your recording and turns them into a video. See some on this blog from a school in the UK.
4. Here is a wonderful screencast showing Wesley Fryer demoing all the last three apps.
5. Strip Designer The app is easy to use and the results were incredibly creative. Here is a slideshare from Lucas Gillispe.
6. Story Buddy Story Buddy’s update now allows you to create multiple stories on one iPad! It looks similar to iBooks now with a shelf, thus allowing multiple students to be able to create individual stories on one iPad. When the app opens, students can continue creating the piece they started without interfering with other students’ work, or having to wait for one student to finish publishing.

Category 2- Apps that guide you through the story making process with the help of steps, scenery, and props.

1. Toontastic An intuitive app for all ages K-4. Here is Kathy Burdick’s review and a post about using Toontastic in the math classroom by Andy Russell.
2. Story Patch Build a story by following a road and making choices. Here is a simple overview on the Apps for Learning blog.
3. Story Wheel is a good app for building language and practicing oral storytelling. You spin a wheel and record a story based on the objects that it lands on. The AppModo blog explains how this helps students with imagination.
4. Puppet Pals allows you to create a show (or story) using puppets and scenery.
5. Here is YouTube video that will demo this app.