Here’s a resource that has been written about widely, and with good reason.  I’ve been meaning to put in my plug for it here for several months.  Be warned:  After using this free online application, there may be a strong temptation to spend some money on hard copy versions of what is created.  This is yet another web based application that offers tremendous potential to engage and motivate young learners to share their stories.

Tikatok was “…developed by two mothers to encourage the imagination and creativity of their children and of children everywhere.”  They describe their website as a “free creative community for kids under 13 where they can write, illustrate and share their original stories, and have them printed out into real hard cover and paper back books.”

Even if young authors never see their work on paper, many young people are powerfully motivated by the opportunity to share their work online.  This is far more meaningful and satisfying than creating for an audience of one–the teacher in the classroom.  Tikatok offers a convenient forum that provides young authors with a global audience.

The site offers optional story starters and prompts.  Story illustrations may be mailed in paper form to the site, or images may be scanned and uploaded directly. Tikatok asks that children be registered by parents or teachers, and they encourage teachers to use a special form if they wish to register a class or group of students.

Embedded below is an example of an online Tikatok book that was put together to show how it all works.