Story+Jumper+-+Erin

Erin Bates  StoryJumper   What is StoryJumper?

StoryJumper is a website where you can create and publish your own books. StoryJumper allows you to use their ClipArt gallery to illustrate your writing, or you can scan and upload your own art. Teachers can create a //**free**// classroom account that allows them to review students' work, share stories with parents and other members of the class, and have control over students' private information.

The screen shot below is the homepage for [|www.storyjumper.com]. From here, teachers would click "Classroom Edition" to learn more and sign up. Once you have an account, you can enter your students' names and StoryJumper will automatically create a screenname for each student and a password for the class (these can be changed by the teacher).

How does StoryJumper work?

After a teacher completes the sign up for his/her class, the students can log on to start creating their books. The teacher can set the duration of a class (such as 1 hour) so that students are automatically logged off the site when class ends. Students will need the Class ID the first time they log in, and then just their screen name and password.

The teacher can click "Stop" to end class early or allow it to run until the end of the pre-set duration time. By logging students out automatically, it prevents another student from entering an account. Students can enter their parents' email addresses to send them a link to their work. At home, students will need their passwords to access the book. After students complete their work, they can share their books online for free. Completed books may also be purchased in hardback starting at $24.95, and a discount is given to teachers who order a certain number of books at one time.

Using StoryJumper in the Classroom

StoryJumper can be used with any ages and grade levels! Students can create their stories at their current reading and comprehension levels, and if used in different grade levels, they can see their writnig progress as they get more mature. Books can be created in any content:
 * with a short story unit in language arts,
 * about shapes, numbers, or any other mathematical concept
 * to illustrate the places they are reading about in social studies
 * to tell about animals or scientific concepts
 * as a foreign language-English dictionary

Students can also work together to create a class book, such as a poetry anthology, a scrapbook of a field trip or activity,