Learning Journal #5 - The ART of Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is quickly becoming very popular in classrooms around the World. Storytelling is nothing new and has been around since the beginning of time. Cultures have passed down old folktales and other stories for centuries. Just as technology has evolved so has storytelling. Kids now are exposed to new technology devices and programs that allow them to create their own digital stories to share with those around the World. I have had some experience working with my class last year as we created digital stories about recycling for Earth Day. I read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss to my class and they then created digital stories to explain the importance of saving our Earth while including portions of text, audio clips they recorded, and photos from the story. My students had a blast creating these digital stories. They put a lot of effort in to their finished project and were so proud to share their projects with fellow peers and their parents. After seeing how my students benefited from this mini digital storytelling project I have put a lot of thought into how I want to organize my next digital story project.

  My Plan... Title of Project: Favorite Vacation Grade Level: 4 Subject: Writing I decided after reading Jason Ohler's, "DAOW of storytelling" that I would address his four parts to creating a digital story within my plan.

  Part I: Storytelling, Literacy, and Learning This project will allow students who are technology advanced and students who are technology novices both create something that they love and are proud of. Students will be actively engaged and see how powerful their message can be to their audience. The State of Florida requires all 4th grade students to write expository and narrative essays for their yearly FCAT 2.0 Writing exam. Many students come into 4th grade hating the thought of writing. Allowing students to write an essay and then create a digital story from that essay will really show students that their work is their own creation. Ohler mentions that media literacy and media fluency are both very important parts to any digital presentation. Students must understand media literacy in order to understand how they can effectively persuade their audience.

  Part II: The Art of Storytelling "Telling weak stories is like giving a bad guitar player a bigger amplifier" (Ohler 2013). This statement really hit home for me. Students can create digital stories on their own anytime they wanted but in order for this digital story to really make sense they still need the teachers help in creating an authentic essay. Students will have to work on their writing process and understand those elements before they can turn it in to a digital creation. Students would plan for their expository essay using a bubble map. Once students had planned for their essay they would begin writing. After all essays were completed the teacher would then write comments in order to help correct any major writing issues. In the end the teacher would meet individually with each student before they began to write out their script for their digital story presentation. This script would be in a table format with the major points needed in their essay. Students would begin to practice their script in order to make sure their fluency was accurate and at the correct speed. Students would then be able to start production on their digital story. After the basics were recorded into iMovie students would then be able to incorporate pictures that they had brought from home and I had personally scanned in for them into their project. Students could then insert background music directly from iMovie or from free background music sites. This process would probably take a week to two weeks in a classroom setting.

   Part III: Technology, techniques, resources In order to create a digital story a variety of technology tools will be needed. Some important ones to have will be a computer, recording device, powerpoint or iMovie, digital camera, scanner, items from home, and parent support. Parent support for his project will be extremely important. I will need the parents to be able to email me or send in photos from their vacation. In the end this will be something really nice for the parents to share with other relatives and to keep as a keepsake from their child. Some advanced technology students may want to use other tools for their project and will be allowed to do so. The tools listed above are just the bare minimum to what will be provided for them to use.

  Part IV: Assessing digital stories Ohler mentioned to assess everything and not just the final product. I completely agree that students should be assessed on all aspects of the project. The written essay is one of the most important aspects to look at since this is one large aspect of the fourth grade curriculum. Students should be given a rubric before they begin their digital storytelling project so that they can keep track of what they have accomplished or have not accomplished. I also liked that Ohler incorporated a peer review and a self assessment review. Students should be able to reflect upon their project and see what worked well and what they could improve on. Self reflecting makes them true learners. In the end, students would have a digital story of their favorite vacation to share with their peers, parents, and others. Students could create a link to share with the classroom blog. This would allow other students to be able to view and give positive feedback to the other student. Students would have seen the full writing process in effect from beginning to end. Students often do not get the chance to publish their writing for others to see. This would allow them to share their story with others for years to come. Digital storytelling has so many benefits for students to see. The possibilities are endless. Once students see how much their creativity can flourish in activities such as this, there will be no stopping them. Digital storytelling is the way of the future and will open the doors for many students to find their audience and express themselves on a variety of topics. Please feel free to share any ideas about digital storytelling!

  References:
Ohler, J. (2013) Storytelling and New Media Narrative. Retrieved from:http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling/index.cfm

Digital Storytelling - Prezi

Learning Journal #4 To Tweet or Not to Tweet? That is the Question!

I decided to take a moment to look at the new phenomenon of Twitter in the classroom.

"Twitter Tagxedo" by Denise Krebs on Flickr

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en

 Twitter is limited to 140 characters which can really keep everything short and sweet! A big plus when it comes to time benefits! Twitter has a ton of options for teachers to look at when thinking of how to incorporate it into their everyday teaching. I recently started using Twitter in my classroom as a tool for parents to see what the homework is each night and other various updates. Our school has their own Twitter page to also inform parents of upcoming events around the school. One drawback that I have seen so far is that many parents do not have Twitter accounts because they don't see the use in having one.I believe as technology develops more in education then more parents will jump on to having a Twitter since they can see the communication that can come from it. I decided to start thinking of how else I could use Twitter in my classroom rather than just as an informational delivery tool for parents.

 After reading the article "The Ultimate Guide To Using Twitter In The Classroom" by Jeff Dunn I could see some new and exciting ways to use Twitter with my fourth graders. One way that I think my fourth graders would really enjoy would be to "tweet a story" You can start the story off and then each student can add the next part until the story ends. This would really increase the participation in the classroom if each student had to tweet something for the story. You could select different genres which would tie into the Common Core Curriculum (even though FL isn't going to use that anymore!). Teachers can create a Twitter Poll for students to answer. Students can then answer and gather information to make informed data collections about a certain topic. Students can connect with other classrooms around the World who are studying similar topics and brainstorm or leave links for others to use. Another way I could use Twitter in my classroom is to create a word game. I can send out a word and ask them to tweet synonyms or antonyms for the word or even make up another word using the same letters. I know my fourth graders would love that! These are just a few of the ideas I came across while reading the article but really opened my eyes to how much more I could do with our class Twitter account.

 I truly believe that Twitter can be extremely useful in classrooms ranging from the elementary level to the college level. With anything involving the use of the Internet safety concerns will always be there. One method I've read is to create a Twitter account for your whole class to use that you can monitor. Then just have students write their name or initials at the end of their posting so you can identify who posted. Seems like the best way to go, especially if you are in the elementary age group.

So now it is time to think...will you tweet or not tweet?

Informative Links: http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom

 References:
Dunn, J. (2011). The Ultimate Guide To Using Twitter In The Classroom. Edudemic. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/twitter-in-education/