Multimedia+Responses+to+Literature

=**Creative Classroom Ventures** =

The Creative Outcome: Multimedia Responses to Literature
Who needs book reports when you can use multimedia to create exciting, compelling projects that engage students in learning how to express their ideas inspired by books (or any type of literature) creatively.

Responses range from book trailers (think booktalks meet Hollywood) to book casts in which students make connections to text, world, and/or self.

Tools That Enable or Enhance this Outcome (Please list and annotate):
Animoto for Education Probably the most exciting new multimedia tool for years! Create music videos MTV style with your own images. Animoto does all the transitions and special effects. So is this only eye candy??? Many would criticize and say yes, but innovative teachers are learning to scaffold with storyboarding so the products can be rich in images and meaning.

Be sure and sign up for an Animoto for Education account. General accounts only allow 30 second videos. With the Educators' account, you can create full-length videos. Heads-up: Plan ahead. Once you request an Educator's account, it could take two to three days to receive confirmation.

PhotoStory Oldie but goldie. For Windows machines. Create PowerPoint slides and then read narration for each and add a music score. A great way to begin creating audio slide shows.

Toondoo Create comic strips to tell a story. You can import these into iMovie and MovieMaker to add narration and music.

Pikistrips Use your own photos to create comic strips. You can import these into iMovie and MovieMaker to add narration and music.

And, of course, iMovie and MovieMaker.

Tool 1: (Name of Tool)
**Transaction Costs:** Weigh the cost in time, effort, and resources with the outcomes. How transparent is the technology? Does it detract from or deepen the learning?

Every computer has either iMovie or MovieMaker installed. These tools are not difficult to learn. To master, yes. To simply get started and accomplish something, no. But for a truly transparent experience in which the technology is quick, easy, and blends in with the task at hand, there are more simple ways to go. Explore some of these newer Web 2.0 tools for digital storytelling.

Prerequisite learning skills, strategies, and/or dispositions needed to be successful with this tool? To create a compelling response, students need to know how to storyboard their ideas.


 * Tips for Using this Tool (s):**

Always have students begin with a storyboard. Post-it notes are great for this so screens can be moved around as the creative process unfolds. Begin with this old technology and have students manipulate ideas before you ever have them go to the computer. It's much easier to collaborate this way and leads to discussion, deeper thinking, and creative problem-solving.

See samples of multimedia responses to literature created by enterprising graduate students in ECI 521, NC State's Teaching Literature for Young Adults course, Spring 2010. Bookhenge 2010
 * Examples:**


 * Other Information:**