What's the Story
We see the Internet as "Expressive Technology," not just "Information Technology." Playful and well-designed Internet activities can develop traditional literacy and new-media literacy in young children. The World Wide Workshop works with partners to create new-media tools and environments for creative writing, digital design, programmable animation, and multidimensional storytelling and publishing - within a global online community.
What's The Story? is an online story-weaving tool for creative, free-form writing. In this activity, young people can create the stories themselves, building writing, comprehension, and storytelling skills within a colorful, animated, fun environment.
Frame That 'Toon: Cell Animation Tools for Kids
When we consider our own learning histories, there's no doubt that some of our best experiences were the ones where we actually created something ourselves -- big or small. Kids are no different than adults when it comes to learning: they love to tinker and play with toys, gadgets, and games. They like to figure out how things work.
Frame that 'Toon is a digital gadget that introduces young children to the basic features of cell animation and animated story-telling. Children learn to use a simple Internet tool to invent their own animated cartoons (or filmstrips) and short story sequences within a playful, programmable environment.
BotBlox
Reading and writing are important basic skills for each and every child to own. However, it's no longer enough to know the 3R's. When kids use the Internet to design and construct complex digital projects, they also need to learn and use their new-media literacy skills which are absolutely necessary for the digital age.
BotBlox is a programming language designed especially for the Internet, for teaching kids key computational ideas. Inspired by the programming language Logo, this activity builds technological fluency by introducing children to beginning programming and mathematical concepts such as variables, angles, patterns, modularity, among other concepts.
Flipsticks
New-media literacy is much more than pointing and clicking with a mouse. The Internet should be a place where kids learn to use their own ideas to invent, create, and connect with others -- this is our vision of 21st century life skills.
Flipsticks is a programmable gadget, a key-frame animation tool for kids. Children can gain an understanding of how to manipulate and control digital media, using design skills, mathematics and logic, and express themselves through graphical programming and sequencing.