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Story
Teller |
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Contact |
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Story
Teller |
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Contact |
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Program evaluation Simon says: The man behind this magical program is Marshal Anderson who continues to produce excellent ideas for teachers and children to use in the classroom - and at home. Look here for his take on the educational software world since the 1980s! It is wonderfully refreshing to discover software which provides an environment in which children's oral language is the focus. And like all really good programs the main idea of the software is very simple: to get pupils to tell a story using pictures as a source of ideas. Their stories are recorded as the user speaks and thus provide evidence of children using spoken language. And because the stories are on disk they are easily stored and readily available should Ofsted pounce. A feature I really liked were the "walkthroughs" which were provided for teacher and pupil. These may be viewed either in Flash format or in Windows Video. Both are excellent introductions to the features of the program, and, like the program itself, they are presented simply and clearly. The voice (that of Marshal Anderson) is warm and non-threatening, providing a graphically illustrated introduction to the program which left me eager to get started. The program provides a supportive storytelling scaffold, holding the pupil's hand where necessary but never in an intrusive manner. As well as being used by a pupil alone the program lends itself to being used by a pair or small group of students working together, co-operatively to develop the story and using language collaboratively to help in their joint and individual construction of knowledge. The Pause button on the recording screen allows students to discuss where to go next with the story. And, of course, it could be used with a full class displayed on a whiteboard for all to see. In reality, the mode of use will depend on the children and the teacher's targets for the lesson. Unlike the National Curriculum, this program doesn't dictate how it should be used: that is up to the teacher using her knowledge of the program and her children. As well as a wide range of pictures that come with the package there is also the ability to use your own pictures thus integrating the software more tightly with your own targets. The main focus of Story Teller is the creative process, not the outcome. This is very refreshing in an era cluttered with targets and levels at the expense of education. For more, stimulating ideas on how Story Teller might be used have a look at this pdf classroom guide which is a must-read, and this web page which is full of great ideas.
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Program Details Hopscotch / Topologika say:
"Story writing is one of the core skills in the English curriculum, but the spontaneous fun to be had from simply telling stories is a key part of the creative process. This new CD aims to spark imaginations and get tall tales flowing. |
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