There are a few different tools that make creating digital stories fun and easy, and they are all free.
- Paint.NET - This is a graphics editor, similar to Paint but much more powerful. It features support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools found in programs like Photoshop.
- Audacity - An easy-to-use audio editor and recorder. Audio can be exported as wav or mp3 files and imported into Scratch or Alice.
- Toondoo - Anyone can create a free account and start writing their own comics in minutes.
- Storyboard That - Another comics making site, great for creating different views of the same character
- Scratch - A program that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web.
- Storytelling Alice - A version of Alice optimized to help middle schoolers create fun, engaging stories in 3D. This is the version I recommend using in schools because it comes with many built in actions that students enjoy using.
- CamStudio - Records screen activity from the Windows desktop into standard AVI movie files. Useful for recording movies created in Storytelling Alice, since there is no export feature.
- Youtube - You can upload student movies to a free class Youtube account, and keep them private. You can still share the link to the video with anyone, but videos won't show up anywhere on the Youtube site if they are set to private.
- Inspiration! This can come from almost anywhere - existing stories (read about copyright issues and when they don't apply!) in books or movies, events in a student's life, or even fairy tales and nursery rhymes.