Preschool Storybirds: Collaborative Technology Project

Summary of Overall Project and Project Team
My collaborative technology project was called Preschool Storybirds. I worked with a preschool class of 3- and 4-year olds to create their own story on storybird.com. I regularly volunteer at this preschool, reading stories to the children once a week. This project built upon the weekly storytimes, including discussions of the parts of a story and what makes a story good, and culminated with the children making up a story to go along with artwork on storybird.com. I then created a parent letter in which I explained about the project, and directed parents to the children’s story on the site. I also downloaded a pdf of the children’s story from storybird.com and presented it to the teachers to add to the classroom library. The project team included myself; Eileen Zaccone, the director of the preschool; and teachers Ms. Laura and Ms. Lillian.



Needs Assessment
I decided there was a need for this project for two reasons. First, I have noticed that this preschool does not really incorporate any type of technology into their program. As it is a school for 2-5 year olds, I don’t think that this is a huge problem in itself; indeed, I feel it is important to limit screen time for young children, as it can often inhibit their creativity. However, an interactive storytelling website like storybird.com encourages much creativity in its users, and I wanted to encourage the children to be creative in a structured setting. While there is much creativity among the children during free play times at the school, most of their structured time does not allow for as much creativity, whether it be practicing writing letters and numbers, or following directions for a project. Knowing this, I wanted to introduce something new (technology, in the form of storybird.com) to both the children and the teachers. I knew the children would enjoy creating a story, as they are such enthusiastic listeners during storytime, and I hoped the teachers would be inspired as well, to incorporate technology into the classroom, and to encourage more creativity during structured activities.



Goals and Learning Objectives of the Project
The learning objectives were for the children to learn about the different parts of a story, be able to discuss what makes a story good, and learn about how to use the storybird.com website to create a story. The goal was to create a finished story on storybird.com that could be shared with the children’s families as well as the teachers at the school. A secondary goal was for the teachers to become more familiar with storybird.com, and consider using technology to foster creativity in the classroom.



Target Audience
My target audience was a class of 3- and 4- year old students, and by extension, their teachers and families.



Technology Used to Complete the Project
I used a 17” MacBook Pro laptop, connected to the school’s wifi network, to access storybird.com in the school. I had the laptop set up on a low table, and the children and teachers sat around the table in a semicircle so that all could see. After completing the story in the classroom, I downloaded and printed a pdf of the story to put in the classroom library. I also used the goo.gl url shortener to create an easy-to-remember url for parents to access their children’s story online.



Challenges Faced
I faced a few challenges, though none of them serious. The main challenge turned out to be time constraints, due to Hurricane Sandy and the school being subsequently closed for almost a week from October 29-November 1. I had originally planned on discussing the parts of a story during my storytime on November 6, then creating the storybird on November 13. However, the hurricane and closing caused the school’s Halloween celebration and my already-scheduled Halloween storytime to be pushed back a week to November 6, so I didn’t get to introduce my “parts of a story” presentation until November 13, the same day that we created the storybird. In the end, this worked out fine, as the children’s ideas about the parts of a story were fresh in their minds.

Another challenge involved the scope of the project – I had originally planned on creating two Storybirds, with two different classes (the young 3-year olds, as well as the older-3’s and 4-year olds). However, when meeting with director Eileen Zaccone, we decided that because of the lost week when the school was closed, it was best to just go ahead with the project with one class, as their scheduling didn’t permit such a long period of time to be devoted to the Storybird project all on one day.

Finally, the last small challenge was with the technology itself – since the school does not use technology in the classroom, they do not have any screens or monitors. They do have a television on a stand, and I was thinking of using my laptop hooked up to that, since it would probably provide the best sightlines for the children; however, the television was so old that I did not have the proper cables to hook it up. In the end, the laptop-on-the-table arrangement worked fine, especially since it was a large screen laptop.



Results
Overall, I think the project turned out very well. The children were able to identify the different parts of a story – I used as an example one of the books we had just read together – who the characters were, what kind of problem they had, and how they fixed the problem. After discussing this, I next showed the children an example of a storybird that I had previously written, and read it aloud to the group. I showed them the different kinds of art available on the site (though I had preselected the art style for the children’s story). We started writing the children’s story by going over the art, and what the children noticed about the pictures. Then we went back to the first picture, and started writing. The group consisted of eleven children and two teachers, and I was really impressed at the range of ideas the children had, and that pretty much every child contributed ideas to the story, though some were more talkative than others. At first, the teachers threw out a lot of ideas as well, and I was a bit worried that the children would just gravitate towards the children’s ideas, but after a while, the children were more forthcoming with their own ideas and stayed on task, helped by some of my question cues that I asked, such as “Do you think that animal is talking?” or “Where else might they be going in their cars?” After completing the story, we came up with a title, and then I read the story aloud. I let the children and teachers know that I would provide them with a letter to send home with parents the next day, so that the children could show their families their very own story, and even create more stories on Storybird at home. When I did provide the teachers with the parent letter and pdf printout of the story the next day, I was able to further discuss with them the options available on Storybird (making additional stories using other art, ordering a hardcover book of the children’s creation, creating a classroom account). The teachers enjoyed the project very much, and one teacher who was not involved in the actual story creation was very interested in finding out more, and working on a Storybird with her class in the future. I also received positive in-person and email feedback from a few parents who had viewed the story at home with their children.

The main thing I would have done differently would to have been able to create two Storybirds with two different classes. While the hurricane was certainly out of my control, I wished it had not been so rushed at the end so that I could have fit both in. Additionally, in an ideal world, the school would have a newer monitor available for the students to have the very best option for viewing the story, or I would have been able to get the cables together that I would have needed to hook up to their older television.



Reflection on the Experience
I feel that this project helped children learn about how an author creates stories, and showed them a way that stories could be created on the computer, and how computers and technology can be used in their classroom. It helped teachers by giving them some new ideas for creative instruction in general, as well as an impetus for requesting some technology possibilities in their classrooms. It helped the director to see that technology can be used to help creative learning in preschools.

Link to the project:
http://goo.gl/Wa5S6 (shortened link)

http://storybird.com/books/the-elephant-who-flies-in-the-sky/?token=725yrz (actual link)

Cyberbullying, Internet Privacy, and other depressing topics

On Cyberbullying
One reason this is such a difficult topic is that with the advent of Web 2.0, people of all ages have unfortunately gone off the rails and filled the internet with insults, hate speech and personal attacks of all kinds.  It is hard to find a comments section on any website, on any type of article or post that does not have hateful, inappropriate messages from posters -- despite moderation of comments sections, and pleas for respect from the website itself.  And we're talking about adults, here!  It's no wonder that kids and teens, who are both impressionable and not as emotionally mature as adults (though one wonders, when one sees what adults post...), will engage in this unfortunate online behavior as well.

Maybe the biggest difference between adult and youth behavior in this realm is that it seems like many adults act this way because they are anonymous online, and the format of the web allows them to put up any kind of hateful speech with hardly a reprimand, since they're not face to face.  How many people would actually say the things they post?  It's extremely cowardly and distasteful, but I'm not sure how to stop it among adults.  Kids and teens who bully online, while sometimes remaining anonymous, just as often will not try to hide their identity -- either because they are self-centered enough that they want everybody to know what they're doing, that they're trying to show off among their friends, OR they don't even know how to hide their identity online, and are not concerned about the consequences -- this particular point relates to internet privacy, something that I'll discuss more below.

danah boyd's article, "The Unintended Consequences of Cyberbullying Rhetoric" (2011), makes a fantastic point:

     For most teenagers, the language of bullying does not resonate. When teachers come in and give anti-bullying messages, it has little effect on most teens. Why? Because most teens are not willing to recognize themselves as a victim or as an aggressor. To do so would require them to recognize themselves as disempowered or abusive. They aren’t willing to go there.

Kids and teens have very fragile egos, and are not likely to admit (especially to a teacher, in front of the class) that they are either a victim or an aggressor.  Indeed, as boyd points out as well, many teens won't even admit that there's bullying going around, much less that they're somehow a part of it.  Calling it "drama" is a defense mechanism, and because there is so much drama in high school overall (bullying or not, there's always going to be best friends and breakups, embarrassments and showing off, all of those things that make us adults cringe when we look back on them), it can be easy for kids (and teachers) to just lump it all together, for better or worse.  Therefore, instead of assigning blame to certain 'types' of students, or scaring kids into not bullying because of the consequences (not that students shouldn't know that there are legal consequences for bullying; it just shouldn't be the only approach), I agree with boyd and Alice Marwick that:         

the focus should be to work within teenagers’ cultural frame, encourage empathy and help young people understand when and where drama has serious consequences. Interventions must focus on positive concepts like healthy relationships and digital citizenship rather than starting with the negative framing of bullying. The key is to help young people feel independently strong, confident and capable without first requiring them to see themselves as either an oppressed person or an oppressor. ("Bullying as True Drama: Why Cyberbullying Rhetoric Misses the Mark," 2011).

How the School Library Can Help:
The school library can certainly work within teens' cultural frame, and focus on positive concepts like the ones mentioned above.  The themes of digital citizenship and online responsibility can certainly be worked into the school library curriculum, and will fit several AASL standards:

•  1.3.5 - Use information technology responsibly
• 3.1.6 - Use information and technology responsibly and ethically
• 3.3.2 - Respect the differing interests and experiences of others, and seek a variety of viewpoints.
• 4.3.4 - Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.

Here is  a video example, created by high schoolers, about online responsibility, internet privacy, and what that could mean for one's future:

An additional way that teachers and librarians can appeal to kids when teaching about internet privacy is to learn more about corporations' information gathering, and why Facebook really wants you to "like" Coca-Cola or Rocawear or whatever.  Of course, getting free stuff is popular, and who doesn't want a chance to win something free online?  But if the librarian presents a lesson about what corporations are getting from you, and all of the personal information they store about you, then students might wake up a little bit, know that companies don't have your best interests in mind,  and will be more knowledgeable about online advertising -- it's way more than just banner ads, or a 30 second ad at the beginning of a youtube video.  After the lesson about online information gathering by corporations, students will be armed with ways to ensure more of their privacy online (opting out, unchecking "email update" boxes, not putting in your personal email address, or street address, etc.)

  

In terms of cyberbullying, it is important that students feel empowered about themselves, and their relationships with peers and adults.  One thing that can help with this is making the school library into a centerpiece of the school community, a safe and enjoyable place for all members of the school.  Without labeling them as "counseling sessions," the school librarian (as well as other teachers, and the school therapist/psychologist) can set up no-pressure after school sessions, where students are free to come to the library, hang out, and talk about what's going well for them, what's hard for them, how they're feeling that day.  Incentivized by free snacks, and maybe even sometimes a (semi-related) movie, this can be a place and time for students to unwind, talk about their emotions, and feel supported by their teachers and peers in a no-pressure environment.  This is not a sure-fire solution, to be sure, but it's a start.

Google Earth and Sketch Up

While exploring around Google Earth, I discovered Sketch Up, which used to be a part of Google, but as of April 2012 is now part of Trimble (but still maintains Google Earth support).  Sketch Up is a 3-D modeling platform, allowing users to create 3-D models of architectural designs, floorplans, products, packaging, and so on.  Taken together with Google Earth, there are many educational implications, as I learned about in this video:

This could be used in many different subject areas: foreign language classes, social studies, technology classes, and math classes.  

Activity idea:

Groups of students research a building or landmark in the country or region that they are studying.  This could be as open as the teacher wants to make it: for example, in a Spanish class, the students could choose from landmarks in Mexico, Central or South America, or Spain.  After conducting a study of the history of the building or landmark, students will view it on Google Earth, and take a Sightseeing tour.  Finally, students will explore Sketch Up, and make a 3-D model of part or all of the building or landmark.

AASL Standards addressed: 

1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools to access information and pursue inquiry.

1.2.3 Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and formats.

3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess.

3.1.5 Connect learning to community issues. (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Common Core Standards addressed: 

CC6-8WH/SS/S/TS6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. (History, social science, and technical subjects, grades 6-8)

CC9-10WH/SS/S/T6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. (History, social science, and technical subjects, grades 9-10)