Digital Storytelling in a Virtual Classroom

Bringing technology into the classroom is easy if the funds are there, its what you as the educator does with that technology that gives the best possible learning experience to the students. In this weeks reading we discussed integrating technology, and digital media into the curriculum. The face of education has changed so much due to the technological advances made by mankind. Today’s digital kids almost expect there to be some kind of digital media to be used in today’s lessons. But how can we do this?

In this weeks task we had to plan a digital storytelling project for our students. In my case since I don’t teach yet, I must think of what kind of digital storytelling project I would like my future students to create. First off, let me tell you about what my future class might look like. I want to teach online American History courses for high school grades 9-12, so my classroom would be a virtual classroom to being with. Where each student has their own blogs and they are linked to a classroom blog. I would create a curriculum web page, where students and parents can check to see what projects, tests, and homework readings are due.  Even though their high school is all online, I want them to feel connected as any other “normal” class would feel. “Participatory learning involves the process of students discussing, brainstorming, explaining, and debating issues with each other and with the teacher, both to determine solutions as well as to identify their own questions.”(Gunter, 2010, p334) For example, having live real time chat/group discussions. Using programs like Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro where you can hear the teacher’s voice and respond to the questions asked.

 Another way to connect the class and fully use digital media is through digital story telling. As a teacher I want my students to love history as much as I do. I feel through digital storytelling this can be achieved! Well at least I hope! The project I would give my students is to pick a decade from American History 20s, 30s, 40s, etc, and they must create and present a digital story telling the class what they found. Information I will be looking for is important events, people, famous inventions, famous speeches, what wars we may have been involved in, and how the events changed America. I will want them to create their digital story and upload it using http://slideshare.com/  or http://prezi.com/ and link it to our classroom blog.

For resources, I would give them links to digital news papers like

• http://www.time.com/
• http://www.nytimes.com/
• http://www.wsj.com/

And Electronic references like

• http://www.grolier.com/
• http://www.britannica.com/
• http://www.loc.gov/
• http://www.neh.gov/
• http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/

I would also encourage them to go to http://www.teachertube.com/ and look for any media, video or audio of famous speeches they can add to their digital story. As far as the actual design of the digital storytelling goes I would have them review this site http://www.dtc.scott.k12.ky.us/technology/digitalstorytelling/res.tips.faqs.html which gives the students the tools they need to create their own and provides the “how to” resources as well. This site has links to several tools the students can use like iMovie, Adobe Premier, Adobe Photoshop, QuickTime, Microsoft PowerPoint, and more. If they have never created a digital story, I would have them watch this video so they understand what’s involved.  

All of these links would be found under “Digital Storytelling page” on the class’s curriculum web page. I feel that if I give them proper guidance, encouragement, and all the resources they could possibly need, they will complete the project as I intended it to be. I want my students to be as networked as the students in Wendy Drexlers video, “Networked Student”.

I feel that Digital Storytelling provides a unique hands on learning experience like no other. They are in control of how they tell the story, and it gives the student a sense of accomplishment when they create it all on their own. This kind of learning experience helps the digital student retain what they have learned in a virtual setting that they are comfortable with. As an educator I want to give my future students the ability to tap into their creative side and provide the best learning environment for them.

Resources:

Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, 6th Ed., Shelly, Cashman, Gunter, and Gunter. Course Technology - Thompson Publishing (2010)