MyStory

App: My Story Book Creator School Edition

Company: Bright Bot Inc.

Cost: $4.99 USD

Device: Apple devices

SAMR Model: Redefinition

App Map Score: Here

Participatory Literacies Score: here

Description

The My Story app is a writing resource that students can access to create their own stories. Students can type using the app's keyboard or write the words with their fingers or a stylus. Students can record themselves reading their writing or telling their story based off of illustrations.

My Story allows students to upload their own photographs or screenshots to support their story. Students can also draw their own illustrations with a variety of art tools or use the program's clipart to add to their story.

When the story is completed, it plays like a movie. It goes from slide to slide, showing each page's writing, illustration, and audio recording as applicable. Students can share their creations in a variety of ways including posting to YouTube, Twitter, e-mail, or saving to the device.

My Story is beneficial for schools with or without a 1:1 device to student ratio. The app allows teachers to create a class roster. Each student has their own account where their story is saved to continue working on at different times.

Differentiation

My Story allows for differentiation since it is an open-ended app where students are able to create content through higher-order thinking skills. Students may be given prompts to write about or write creatively at their own level.

Students who may not be developmentally ready to write or type a sentence, paragraph, or story, may tell the story through illustrations and audio recordings. This app could be used for students to write fiction or non-fiction based off of research.

Comprehension

My Story can be used to build or assess comprehension skills. Teachers could assess comprehension skills by assigning specific rubrics that center on comprehension skills that need to be improved.

Students may build comprehension skills through a variety of My Story activities. Students may create a story that is told from a different point of view from a previous reading. Students could read or listen to peers' work and answer comprehension questions. My Story creations would allow for student reflection and self-assessment by reviewing their work and making adjustments as necessary.

My Story would help students build listening, reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills.

Possible Downfalls

Some portions of this app may be distracting, especially the clip art or photo functions. Some students have gotten distracted with the clip art, wanting to make pictures instead of focusing on using them to tell a story, or whatever the learning goal may be.

This app take a bit of practice to become familiar with how to work and find different functions from the app. It is not very intuitive for young students, but with practice, they get the hang of it.

Bright Bot, Inc. (2017a) Kids A-Z photographs. Licensed under https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-story-book-creator-school-edition/id449232368?mt=8

Bright Bot, Inc. (2017b). My story book creator school edition [Mobile Application App] (3.5.2). Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-story-book-creator-school-edition/id449232368?mt=8