New- Google Now Offers These Powerful Storytelling Apps for Free

February 9, 2015
Following the purchase of Launchpad Toys by Google, this latter has officially made the two popular educational apps Toonastic and TeleStory  free for everyone. This piece of news, which I learned from Jonathan Wylie, is a great welcome for educators and teachers. The two apps are already being heavily used by teachers and we have reviewed them here in several past instances, however, now that they are free, teachers will have access to those powerful and advanced features that were available only to premium members through in-app purchase.

1- Toonastic

Toonastic is a great storytelling app that allows kids to easily draw, animate and create beautiful cartoons to share with others.�Making cartoons with Toontastic is as easy as putting on a puppet show - simply press the record button, move your characters onscreen, and tell your story. Toontastic records your animation and voice as a cartoon video to share with friends and family. �

2- TeleStory

TeleStory is another fantastic storytelling app that draws on  the power of augmented reality features. It allows users to create stories using a wide variety of themes, animated scenes, 50 different digital costumes, and many special effects. Users can record or broadcast their creations by exporting them to their camera roll and then from there share them with others.

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Flipagram- A Great Digital Storytelling App Using Pictures and Audio

February 8, 2015
Flipagram is a cool  app that allows you to create short video stories using pictures and images you have in your camera roll, albums, Facebook or Instagram. The process to create a video story using Flipagram is very simple: select your photos,  add your favourite music. You can also add text to tell your story. Once done you can then share your creation with others using social media platforms or through email.

Other interesting features Flipagram provides for users include things such as set timing, cool filters, easy sharing to other apps (e.g Twitter, YouTube, Instagram..etc), cool selfie cam mode, and many more. Since the recent update to the app, Flipagram users can now :

• Join the creative community of photo-video storytellers on Flipagram
• Tell great stories with your photos and favorite music
• Follow and interact with friends and interesting people
• Get likes and comments on your creations
• Explore users, #hashtags, and editor�s picks
• Find your Facebook and Instagram friends
• Control the privacy of each of your flipagrams

Flipagram is also available on Android and Windows phones

Watch this video to learn more about Flipagram

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6 Excellent Digital Storytelling iPad Apps for Elementary Students

November 4, 2014
There are several ways you can use iPad to unleash your kids creativity and one of them is through engaging them in the creation and production of digital stories. Digital storytelling is a literacy practice that can tremendously enhance kids literacy skills way beyond the traditional literacy forms. It will enable them to express and communicate their thoughts in a multimodal way that involves images, sounds, videos and  text. To this end, we have prepared for you this short list that contains some of the best iPad apps you can use with your kids for digital storytelling. Check them out below:

1- 30 Hands

30hands Mobile focuses on the power of storytelling and ITERATIVE CREATIVITY(TM). Drag photos, images or video clips around the desktop into the order of the story. Next, record audio over each image. Easy editing allows students to take learning to a higher level and creates a better final video whether created by a student or teacher. Finally, the story or presentation can be published to the device�s photo area or uploaded to a 30hands Cloud collaborative learning site.
2- Sago Mini Doodlecast

Sago Mini Doodlecast is a fun creative activity and a valuable teaching aid. It�s a great way for kids to express themselves through art and conversation. Families can use the app for everything from practicing counting and letters to talking about experiences and feelings. Sago Mini Doodlecast comes with more than 30 drawing prompts � simple questions designed to inspire your child�s imagination. Choose a prompt or start from scratch. The app records the entire drawing process along with audio from the microphone to create short videos. The videos are as fun to watch as they are to create.

3- Story Creator

With Story Creator you can easily create beautiful story books containing photos, videos, text, and audio all in one gorgeous collection. Story Creator truly brings your best stories to life and easily allows you to retell and share your most memorable moments.
4- Sock Puppets

Sock Puppets lets you create your own lip-synched videos and share them on Facebook and YouTube. Add Puppets, props, scenery, and backgrounds and start creating. Hit the record button and the puppets automatically lip-synch to your voice.
5- Story Wheel

" Story Wheel is an educational game that improves your child�s cognitive abilities. Story Wheel helps develop an understanding of story composition, strengthens imagination, and improves oral language skills. It is a perfect complement to your child�s language arts school curriculum. 1-4 players can create a story. Start by spinning the wheel to get a picture. Next, record your voice as you develop a story with that picture. Each player will build upon the story with a new picture. When done, you can listen to your story and share your creations online, or email them to family and friends."

6- Little Story Maker

 Little Story Maker allows kids to create visually appealing story books using images, text and audio. The app provides some gorgeous story book templates that kids can use to embed their stories. They can also add their own photos and voice to make tell their stories. In Little Story Maker, kids can create an unlimited number of personal stories. The only limit is their creativity.

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