video project in my class

I decided to assign the video project in my class a few weeks ago.  I first gave them access the iPad and let them shoot a quick scene in the hallways in the building.  I gave zero parameters except it should be Physics related.  That was an easy one!!

But then I brought up the idea of storyboarding and told them that they just had to put their ideas down in a schematic format.  Gave examples and a rubric.  However, the ability to come up with their own idea seems to be very difficult.  I am trying desperately not to show my example video, because I don't want just a dozen videos like mine. I fear I will need to do so as they seem to be having great difficulty when my answer to "What can I do?" is "Whatever you want!"

FRS Story Starters - Fast Rabbit Software

Name of APP: FRS Story Starters
Fee or Free: $1.99

Story Tellers is a wonderful story telling application that provides the who, why, what, where and when for a story that can then be used to create a full story.  The App allows the user to choose which of the five W's are supplied leaving any number of them out allowing for a number of creative choices.  It also will provide all five, giving as much or as little structure as desired.

The App does not allow for writing within it's features so any story writing would need to be done with pen and paper or on a word processor, but if it's simply an idea slot machine your looking for, this is a really good one.

The app also allows for repeated shuffling, as well as a lock feature, that will keep those W's that are locked while shuffling others.  This can be very helpful, when certain elements don't easily blend for beginning story tellers whose imaginations are not yet ready to make giant leaps.

One draw back is that the App does not appear in any search I did for my iPad but only on my desktop computer, limiting its use in the classroom setting to larger PC's rather than slimmer lower cost options.

I would rated this App a 4/5 due to the above mentioned drawback.