The iPad is an excellent device for making presentations, but many of the high quality apps have too many features for younger learners. StoryBuddy 2 is a presentation app aimed at children, that doesn’t overcomplicate the creative process.
With the app, children can create beautiful ebooks, filled with text, images, drawings and audio recordings. By using recognisable iPad gestures, students will quickly grasp how to create and edit their work — making it ideal for the classroom.
When creating a new book, each page is created individually like a presentation slide. On each slide, you have the option of drawing with multiple colours, adding text, importing a photo or changing the background colour. These elements are easily edited and will bring up extra buttons when tapped, such as font, size, colour etc. Tapping on the slide thumbnail will bring up the audio recording option, where you can add a narration to your book or an interesting note.
When you save a book it is added to the home screen along with all your other projects. You can open a book in the viewer mode or tap the edit button to reopen the working environment with all the tools. When books are completed, you can export it as a PDF (losing any audio recordings) or an ePub file — the popular digital format.
Overall, StoryBuddy 2 is highly recommended and is great for creating short stories. As the book can be exported as an ePub, there’s even the possibility of publishing it on Apple’s iBooks Store.