Storybird and Xtranormal

Storybird and Xtranormal are two open source sites we have been using as presentation tools lately.

Storybird is a site that allows users to select from a range of artists, and then write words to accompany the pictures. We used this as a straight story site during Creativity Day, but also with a Year 6 class who were doing research about famous people. They wrote a narrative incorporating their famous person - it was successful both with advanced students, who wrote complex narratives, and with less focused students who were the most interested they had been in class all year!

Xtranormal is not completely open source, but it does have a free component. It allows users to select animated characters, read text for them, and then will create a short film using those characters - again, a great literacy and creativity tool. I have only used it at home so far, but will use it as an option for my Year 9 classes as a presentation tool for their Leaders study.