Photostory - by Annika Lönn

Photo Story

Dear classmates,

Probably Photo Story is not something unknown for you but since it is very useful in school and it is quite simple to use it is important to emphasise. All you need to do before you start is to download the program and you can find it at Google search. You need some pictures or photos and an idea about what you want to do. Then it is time to start. 

How to do

The instructions in Photo Story are in English but it is anyway quite simple to use if the English language knowledge is not so good. There will be many choices during the creation of a Photo Story but the first is very simple: Begin a new story is the only alternative in the first page.

In the next page you will choose pictures. It is possible to choose own photos from the computer or find pictures or photos from the internet. Do not forget the copyright if photos or pictures from the internet are used. It is always safer to use own photos just to be sure. When the order of the photos is chosen it is time to rotate them, cut them down and remove red eyes and so on. 

Then it is time to write at each picture if you want to. It is necessary to mark the picture which needs the text.  It is possible to choose size, type and colour of the letters. Where they will be at the picture is another choose to do. In this page it is possible to change effects of the picture like colour and so on.

The next step is to record sound, speech or something else at each picture. It is possible to record the sound several times if it does not sound good at the first time. When the Photo Story is ready every picture is shown so long there is a recorded sound. If there is no sound the picture is shown five seconds if the creator does not change this. The way of changing from a picture to another can be decided by the creator. There is a few different ways to use. For instance the picture can fade out and the new picture fades in or the pictures come up from the left and disappear to the right.

The last step is to put background music. It is possible to use the same music for all pictures or every picture can have different music or no music. It is possible to use a ready music or create own music in the Photo Story. 

Then it is time to choose how and where the Photo Story will be saved and when the button Next is used the transformation to a viewable Photo Story begin. 

How to use it in school

Photo Story can be used in many different ways in school. The teacher can use Photo Story to show something special for the pupils. For instance, it can be a fun and interesting start point for a new project or a summary of a finished one. Storytelling is another topic which suit for Photo Story. Photo Story is an excellent thing to use for pupils too. Probably the pupils like more to make own Photo Stories. If the pupils are in an early grade they can do it together with a teacher or a pupil from a higher grade. Almost all children are very good at computer work nowadays but Photo Story may be too difficult to use for a pupil in the first or second grade with poor English language knowledge. Perhaps, all pupils need to be taught how it works if they have not used it before. The best way to teach them is to sit next to a computer with two or three pupils and let them try to use it at once. If this is not possible a projector may be used to show the whole class at the same time. This way is not preferable but perhaps necessary. The quantity of computers in the class room may cause problems. On the other hand it is not necessary for everybody to make Photo Stories in the same time. Probably they will enjoy it more if they do not have to watch too many in a short time. 

The pupils can use Photo Story in a presentation of a group work or an individual work. Another way of using it is to show something they have been through either the whole class or some of them. This can be interesting for the whole school and for the parents to watch. If there are some pupils who are uncomfortable to speak in the front of the class this recourse can be a help. Of course the pupils do not always think it is fun to listen for their own voices but it can be beneficially to hear their own pronunciation. Photo Story can be used in all kind of subjects and if there are several subjects which cooperate about a theme it is excellent to use. The teacher´s and the pupils´ imagination is the limit for the use of Photo Story. 

Annika Lönn