Getting excited about digital storytelling

I realize that it has been a very minuscule amount of time since I have written on this blog BUT I am just so darned excited about digital storytelling that I simply had to post. Also, I have a lot of other things to do later on in the week... but mostly I'm posting because I'm excited.

Today in class (yes, oddly I am writing about something we did in class) we went over a bunch of sites (which I promptly added to my WallWisher-ICT-Tip page) and apps that allow/enhance the creation of digital stories. This is very appealing to me for two reasons: 1) I have to make a digital short story in ELA methods, and I am thinking that I will not find a whoooole lot of instruction on how to make digital short stories there, and 2) I really like creative, aesthetic tasks since I am one of those dreaded English majors.

A SUMMARY of some of the websites/apps we went over in class, along with a
brief review:

1. iMovie: I actually have no idea how iMovie works, since I don't have a Mac... I just wanted to take this opportunity to complain about how I don't have a Mac. 
2. Windows Movie Maker: I apparently do not already have this on my laptop, so I am currently in the process of downloading it. I think I remember using this on my previous computer, though, and from what I remember it was quite a useful tool. I can see myself using this for the storytelling project.
3. Audacity: It looks like a really neat audio editing tool. I think I would use this for sure - I just don't really have a lot of experience editing audio outside of high school and most of the experience I have had has since been forgotten. I would need to invest some time in re-learning.
4. Prezi: This site looks fabulous. The presentations that can be made here are beautiful and interesting. I have absolutely no idea how to create a prezi, or even make use of existing templates (what on Earth is a "path"?) BUT I saw that there are numerous tutorials right on the website that I am going to have a look at during the week.
5. pixlr: I have been using pixlr for about a year now, ever since my cousin showed me how she made her already-stunning self-portraits/profile pics even more stunning. In fact, I actually used this site to edit all the banners on my ePortfolio and some of the pictures on my classroom website. It is super user-friendly, and contains the perfect amount of editing options (not enough = boring, too many = overwhelming). 
6. Gimp: Oddly enough, when I made my very first website in high school, I used Gimp to edit my photos! I likely didn't utilize it very well, since I have no experience, but I remember it being a great tool. I don't think I will bother downloading it again, though, since I really like pixlr (which I do not have to download).
7. Storybird: I have only done a brief tour of this website, but I am very pleased with what I have found so far. I love the concept of creating picture books online, and I also really like that it makes storytelling simple. So many people (including myself) are daunted by the task of storytelling, since there is so much thought involved, especially in terms of images! This site allows people to build stories based around pre-existing sets of images, which makes the storytelling process a little easier, while still allowing it to retain the imaginative, creative aspect of storytelling (the creator must fill in the words!)
8. Xtranormal: I am extremely excited about this website. I saw a little story one of my fellow classmates did with this once, and it was so cute and captivating. The classmate also said the site is really user-friendly. I think this might be the best contender for my digital short story assignment... but time will tell.

Kape, now we'll end on a strong note. LOOK WHAT I (we) DID!!!!!:

Note: If you would like to actually read this short and silly story, click HERE.