Collaborative Learning with Technology

 Storybird collaboration between sparrish and brittanyrimmer

ISTE NETS-T Standard 3 for Model Digital Age Work and Learning:

        b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

This Storybird project allows students in different school, that are different ages, and have different ideas to collaborate on one story, then publish it for the community online to see and comment. Teachers can use this method of collaboration with Storybird in multiple approaches to collaboration. Whether a group of students in one class huddle around a computer and create a story, individual students from different classes pair up and work on a story, or students who don't even know each other from different school share the experience of writing a virtual story together.

Since Storybird is online, the community can view and comment on students work. This allows the community to be involved and support the students creating a positive atmosphere of learning and appreciation of hard work. Parents and family members can also make stories with students and view them whenever they are available. Teachers could assign students to create a Storybird story with a family member who does not live close by. If a student does not have a family who could collaborate with them, those students could be paired ith another teacher at the school. This allows the family or another caring adult to be involved and support students.

This form of collaboration is effective because it is online. Writing a story online while collaborating with someone else allows students to experience teamwork, creative thinking, and enjoyment using digital tools, making writing a simple story infinitely more exciting because they are students in technologically savvy generations.