BP3_2010031_TikaTok

The above image is my class list from TikaTok that I can access my student’s work and what they have accomplished and where they are at in creating a story.

The Web 2.0 tool I have chosen that is of interest to me to utilize in my classroom is TikaTok. This tool enables children to write and publish their own stories and when their story is complete they can purchase their creation as an eBook, a hardcover book, or a soft paperback book. TikaTok allows students to upload original stories and illustrations. There is also an opportunity for students to use templates, as well as choosing a topic to write about. The site is free and it allows a person to save their story and illustrations.

I can see myself using TikaTok in the writing portion of my 5^th grade class. I encourage students to use their imagination when creating a story. I often start by reading a published book that was written by a student. This gets the 5^th graders excited and feeling confident that they can be original when writing their own story. To change things up a bit TikaTok could be used in the classroom as a visual for students to see their words produced on a page, similar to a book that they have read for leisure. Throughout the writing process this site would aid in the importance of building a character, the setting, and theme of a story. This would happen through the visual aspect of student’s choosing which words to put on what page and deciding what illustrations would best represent the words that coincide with a page. It is important for students to express themselves through words. I believe a student writing a story and seeing it written on a page would be beneficial because it is a different perspective than just writing a story on notebook paper. In addition, for the students that find themselves challenged in writing stories they would have the opportunity to use a template provided by TikaTok. This would allow some weight to be taken off the child’s shoulders and in return the student may have more fun with the assignment and enjoy writing. TikaTok also gives helpful hints throughout the story writing process, which will give additional aid to students. If a student would like to purchase an eBook, hardcopy, or paperback of the story he/she created that would be available to them.

Reference

(2010). Tikatok. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.tikatok.com/create