Photostory

Photostory

Photo story!! What a great tool it is. All you need is a computer and the software. It is free, and you can download it from Microsoft’s homepage.  

Then it is all up to you and your imagination….

Photostory is a program where you use pictures to tell a story or to present a subject or a theme. The pictures you use can be taken by the pupils with a digital camera or you can use online photos.You can  put sound, music and text to the story. You can also make animations to each picture. It is fun, it is easy to learn, it is easy to edit and it makes the pupils proud of their work, because it looks so professional and nice.
 
I first came across this tool when I did the course PIM, “Skolverkets” own ICT education for teachers. Back then I didn’t know how to or what to use it for so I forgot about it until recently when got introduced to it once again. Now I use it as often as I can.

You can use Photostory in all subjects and in many different ways. As a teacher you can use Photostory to present a new theme. You can use it as a teaser to a new book to read out loud in the class or to make stories. It has a countless number of uses.
I have been using it recently in a theme about tales and legends. I told the pupils an old legend from outside our village. Then they were given the task to retell it with Photostory.The same story was made in many different ways. The pupils really enjoyed it.

But remember….
Some children don’t like to record and listen to their own voices. You can then make the presentations in smaller groups until they get used to it. It is not even necessary to record their voices the first time but it is a great tool to use when you want them to discover their own voices and pronunciations. 
And….
Always talk about copyright before they start searching for pictures online.