Art Tech Task #5

For this week's art tech task, I have chose to use a digital story telling tool called "Slidestory". This browser based tool was great for creating a story through technology. I used this application to show how I would create an integrated arts activity in my future 2nd grade classroom. However, this would be great in a classroom as well to use for visual instructions. Like you could explain what the class will be working on through the video, while actually working through the assignment in it as well. This would be an awesome way to help visual learners and engage all students in the project.

This tool could be used to create integrated arts experiences in the classroom in several different ways:

1. students could use this to create their own story. An autobiography that is essentially told digitally. It would still bring in all of the speaking/listening, and language requirements while adding a creative element that would allow he/she to express themselves.
2. This would also be great as a replacement of powerpoint. Instead of memorizing what to say when giving a presentation, a student could use a tool such as this one and actually make it a smooth speech, with solid creativity thrown throughout. It would be way more interesting and engaging.
3. This could also be a collaborative project where students get together and create a narrative through this digital story telling tool. They could add illustrations and narrate it how they want the expressions or prosody to sound. Great for testing multiple areas if ELA requirements.

Could students use this app to create their own digital media artifacts? Absolutely. But, I would say they would have to be older, like in middle school. BECAUSE, there are so many steps while doing this, I think it would get confusing and challenging for the younger learners. All of the pictures I incorporated on mine were either emailed pictures that I had to download in or pictures I had to search through google. Typically, younger students don't use google anyways, because of the wide array of content that one would find on this site. Also, you have to record all of the audio in separate clips, which means one would need to know how to work the microphone on their computer as well as have an idea about chronological order. And then, I had complications publishing my video, which means that others will probably fall into the same trouble. Once fully produced, you have to go back online and find it on the site's page in order to do anything with it afterwards. Therefore, I think it's totally manageable for the older students, just not the younger kiddos.

Easy:

• all of the buttons are super easy to use and self explanatory
• pictures are easily uploaded and switched to whichever order is preferred
• audio is as simple as clicking the button, and if you don't like it, you can hit cancel and redo it!

Challenging:

• there were unknown errors while publishing that I couldn't figure out what to do with
• you have to create an account and verify it through an email (which it goes into a spam folder, never your actual inbox)
• labels, tags, titles, and category names are required to produce the finished product

Standards that fit my integrated arts activity: (also included in my presentation)

My personal review of slidestory though:

I spent 4 HOURS making a 20 minute presentation through this site, which it wouldn't let me save or publish my digital story. I googled forever what to do or how to at least embed my work into blogger, and everyone else seemed to have the same trouble I was having, with absolutely no resolution to the problem. Slidestory DOES NOT WORK and should not be used by anyone. If you can't save or publish your work, then what good is the site? It isn't. Plain and simple. I was seriously so upset about this. And therefore, why I cannot show all of you what I have created (which it was an awesome story by the way). Ugh!