Storybird

Storybird is a free, online site that allows students to create their own children's book. They can also read books that other Storybird users have written, including classmates' work.

These could be a great way to get unmotivated writers (or readers) to get excited about the subject! I actually think Storybird could be fun for any age student. Of course, the little ones would love the color and funny graphics, but the older students could also enjoy this unconventional and creative assignment.

To do this in your class, I'd suggest signing up as a teacher. This allows you to let students work inside your account without asking each student to sign up with an e-mail account individually (which can take forever, or even be impossible with all the filters!).

Once you sign in on your Storybird teacher account, you can create different classes for your students so everyone isn't mixed together.  This sorting feature might also make it easier to assess your students.

One obvious difference between the teacher account and the regular account is that teachers can assign projects with due dates to their students. You can also control the amount of interaction your students have with other Storybird users and/or their classmates, which I like. I have yet to see any inappropriate material, but you just never know!

Another Storybird feature is the ability to write a book collaboratively. Students don't have to create books alone; they can work in pairs or even groups. This might motivate even the most reluctant reader/writer to participate! And Storybird basically forces collaborators to contribute equally to the book; collaborative works get passed back and forth to its contributors so that everyone gets a turn.

Artists draw and submit work to Storybird, and that is where students will get the illustrations. Students can choose illustrations based on a specific theme or from an artist whose work they really enjoy. There are some other customization features, such as choosing the color of the pages in your book, but there aren't too many options so that your students can't focus on reading and writing.

A great feature for all users is that you can have your Storybird stories professionally printed and made into actual books. This would be a neat project for student writers, as they would be able to see their work "published" and take a copy home! Printing does cost money, but if your school (or students) can afford it, I think it would make a neat souvenir from your class.

When I went to read some of the work submitted on Storybird, I found a story called "Seven Ways to Survive School." Take a look at this book that a user named Hunter wrote:

 Seven Ways to Survive School on Storybird

If you're as impressed as I am, consider using Storybird in your classroom. Don't forget to let me know how it goes!