Chapter 5: Does technology hinder the story development process?

When discussing the creating of story maps, the author makes the following bold statement, "Don't have students use computers to create the VPS.  They just get in the way at this point.  Just have them use paper and pencil."  (Ohler, Kindle Edition, 1181 of 2900).

My initial reaction to Ohler's comment was one of slight confusion.  We're currently enrolled in a Master's Program which revolves around educational technology,  but we're taking the use of computers out of this portion of the process.  After looking at the Visual Portrait of a Story (VPS), I do believe that having the students expand upon their story core by drawing out the path their character takes from ordinary life, through the stages of conflict and growth that lead to resolution and closure is an effective way to focus students on the story, rather than the technology.

As I read further into the chapter, I began to think of a student from my very first year of teaching.  He was a 4th grader in my 4/5 combination class and was both gifted and talented and extremely distracted and hyperactive.  Although he loved speaking in front of the class and telling his ideas, writing was very frustrating for him because he couldn't concisely articulate all the thoughts that were running through his mind.  He loved to create stories on the computer, but they often became jumbled with creative fonts, colors, and graphics and the focus was no longer on ensuring the story was complete.    The story map itself is a great visual rubric showing students where they need to strengthen their stories or what information may not impact their core ideas.  This would be an effective, inexpensive tool for teachers to use with all students and would have a great impact on students like my 4th grader, acting as a guide to express their ideas.