When it comes to publishing and sharing student-created stories, there are more hardware, software and web tool options that one person can ever plan on learning. Here are a few of my thoughts and favorites. Use the link to the left to add your own favorite tools to the list.



Quicktime Pro is an inexpensive and easy to use recording solution for Mac and Windows. I've found many times where the no-fuss interface of QT Pro made it easier for students to focus on the story rather than the bells and whistles of sound effects and audio enhancers.

A solution I still use for many audio projects is an iPod with an attached Microphone. Three options for iPod mics are the Belkin TuneTalk, the Griffin iTalk and the new Mikey from Blue Microphones. If you happen to have an iPad, then you have an easy way to record. The iPad has a built-in microphone located by the headphone jack.

Garageband comes installed on every new Mac and can be used to create audio recordings, podcasts and to add audio to a movie file.

USB Mics are a good addition if you plan on recording regularly. A few to consider are the Logitech USB Mic (inexpensive) , Blue Microphone Snowball (good for individual and group recordings) and Snowflake (small and portable), Samson Q1U (a great value at approximately $50) or C01U (excellent sound quality and three, switchable audio field settings like the Snowball) and Rode Podcaster (professional mic with ability to monitor audio). New USB microphones come out all the time, and they have more and more features.

Windows users have a few options for audio applications. Audacity is the old favorite of many Windows (and Mac) users. It's a free app that has some very powerful audio tools for recording. For a little more bells and whistles, an easier-to-use interface, and some loops for creating music for intros, outros, and musical beds, try Mixcraft. Like GarageBand, it has multiple tracks, a relatively easy interface, and the ability to score videos if needed. It costs about $75, but it's a much more comprehensive tool than Audacity for creating projects.

The following aren't audio recording tools necessarily, but they are resources for royalty-free music and sound effects.

• ccMixter is a great site for re-mixing audio and finding music for projects.
  
• Incompetech is by Kevin McLeod. His music is free as long as you cite him as the creator.
  
• Partners in Rhyme is a resource for sound effects and music.
  
• Free Play Music is one of the largest sources of royalty-free music. However, you cannot use the music in projects where you receive any monetary gain (no DVD yearbooks or contests) unless you pay a fee to them.
  

A big part of many digital storytelling projects are the images and visuals that help paint the picture. Attached at the bottom of this page are handouts that give basic instruction in camera use and tips on taking good photos.

Tools to use in telling stories with pictures include:

• iPhoto Storybooks
  
• ComicLife illustrated comics application that is cross-platform
  
• iMovie videos (see the attachments below for a handout on the digital video process)
  
• Keynote slideshows
• Pages short stories
• PhotoBooth can create quick videos with the iSight camera.
  
• Also on the Windows side, be sure to try out Photo Story and Movie Maker which both are free on the Microsoft website.

Finding pictures to use online is another option. Some good resources for copyright-friendly images include:

• Pics4Learning
• Creative Commons Image Search on Flickr
• Everystockphoto.com is a search engine for Royalty-free images. It will search through Flickr, Stock Xchange, MorgueFile, PhotoXpress and more. Be sure to cite your sources!

Some Online sources for working with multimedia (text, images, audio, and video) include:

• Comiqs.com an online site very similar to ComicLife
• PikiStrips is another online site that allows you to create quick comic strips.
  
• Big Huge Labs is a site full of fun tools to create projects with digital images. There is an educator version without the ads
• Screenr is a screencast software that links to your Twitter account.
  

Building stories together with others online is a new twist on group writing. A few projects and tools to consider include:

• Using Twitter to write collaborative stories such as this one created by middle school students and featured on NPR. You can also follow and contribute to an ongoing Story Spine on Twitter. Visit the Storyspine website to learn more.
  
• Writing stories in Google Docs. This works well for collaborative writing teams formed from students in different classes. One way to do this is to assign students roles in the writing assignment. Have one student work as the copywriter (responsible for writing the basic frame of the story), one as the editor (responsible for correcting grammar, spelling and punctuation errors), and one as the color commentator (responsible for adding details and descriptive passages). Rotate jobs often so students get a chance to work in all three roles.
• Creating online storybooks or video collections using VoiceThread. Students can create individual or group stories with images, text, video, and audio .and leave comments or feedback for one another. It's a creation tool, but also a publishing site.
  

To share stories online, think about:

• Podcasting. PCHS students host a student podcast channel to share their work.
  
• There are several podcast hosts to post your work. Some of those include Liberated Syndication (LibSyn), PodBean, and PodOmatic. PodBean and PodOmatic offer free (limited) accounts, but they also have bandwidth limitations. LibSyn is much more full-featured and begins at $5 per month.
  
• Wikis. Science teacher Ann Floyd used elements of storytelling to help students relay characteristics of living creatures on her CHS Animal Wiki.
• There are a LOT of wiki sites. Wetpaint is a good one, but some other popular ones include wikispaces, PBworks, and Wikidot.
  
• Blogs. A great way to have students write receive feedback on their work from their peers. An example of a student writing blog is the Students 2.0 blog with contributions from students across the world.
• There are even more blog sites than wiki ones. The best ones for education (translation... they don't get blocked by IT as often) include Edublogs, 21Classes, ClassPress, and Gaggle.net.
  
• Presentations. Prezi is newer to the presentation scene, but takes a fresh look at how to present with images and stories.