Students as Authors: Point, Click, Visualize & Create

Funded Nov 30, 2020

Since my project, "Students as Authors: Point, Click, Visualize & Create," was funded by clothes manufacturer and retailer J. Crew, I was fascinated to see how my 11th and 12th grade English Language Arts students with learning disabilities used their subscriptions this term to StoryboardThat -- an online graphic story-telling and presentation app. I originally assumed my 50+ students would embrace this technology because it would allow even those students with no graphic ability to put together their own narratives with graphics and text. But, like anything new, there were both early adopters and those who were more reluctant. Some students did log in immediately and plunged ahead. They enjoyed the many choices of backgrounds, scenery, people, animals, and text balloons which the app offered. They were free to create their own interpretation of literary text readings taken from world literature's creation myths. However, for students with no or little graphic experience, the program offered more challenges. It was only after I offered multiple demo sessions that I was able to dramatically increase student usage -- particularly from my 20 seniors -- from about 25-30% usage to nearing 90% adoption by term end.

One of the most exciting features about using the StoryboardThat graphics platform for my students was that it has given them multiple ways to present instructional material -- and not just in my class either. Students have begun using StoryboardThat for core classes like world and U.S. history as well as electives like Psychology. One senior, Carlos, created a 6-panel storyboard for a Life Skills class showing a day in his life. Another student, Arthur T, also illustrated his life for the same class.

But perhaps the most telling of successes by my students came from Isabel. She used the new app to create her own myth story: She didn't follow my assigned story format or the writing prompt for that matter. Instead, Isabel was able to create and illustrate something completely original and something that would have been far more of a challenge for her if she had to create it by hand. Mission accomplished. Thanks again to everyone at DonorsChoose, StoryboardThat, and, of course, the J. Crew company, for supporting what I feel reflects a positive forward step in education.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Latter