This week in my Fundamentals of Technology for Educators masters class we were asked to use digital storytelling to reflect about a project that we would assign to our students using this tool. I have worked with digital storytelling during my senior internship and I really enjoyed it. This tool gives students the opportunity to create presentations where they are able to incorporate music and video. The students seemed really engaged and seemed as though they were enjoying themselves.
I have not begun teaching but when I have a classroom of my own I plan to use this tool with my students. In my future classroom consisting of 4th grade students I will have them complete a social studies project on Native Americans. This project fits perfectly into the curriculum because I will address all of the Sunshine State Standards. I would have my student use the PowerPoint presentation tool to complete this project. I like this tool because it gives the students the opportunity to creatively display their research information through pictures, video, and music.
I would begin the introduction of the storytelling project by discussing with my students what exactly digital storytelling is. I would also show them some examples of this tool and go over specifics features that they could incorporate into their project. Because I am working with younger students I would also provide them with directions on how to complete the project. To complete this assignment each student will be placed in groups of 3-4. Each group will have the opportunity to pick which Indian tribe they want to complete their presentation on.
The students will be presented with a detailed rubric of what needs to be included in the assignment. By doing this it gives the students a chance to see what is expected of them. This helps with the effectiveness of the project. They will be required to have at least 8-10 slides, 4 pictures, and music incorporated in this project. They will also be asked to use Internet search engines (Google,Yahoo, etc) to research the topic.
I feel that this is a fun and engaging way to integrate technology into the classroom. Students are always asked to complete research projects, by using digital storytelling it gives them a way to creatively report their finding. This is something that will motivate students and make learning exciting.
Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI also got the chance to work in a classroom where students were engaged in a digital storytelling activity. Wasn't it great to see how excited the students were to be a part of this? I like your idea of using this activity as an integration with social studies. Many areas of social studies are all about telling the stories of important people in our history and I definately feel that simply reading through a text book does not keep our students engaged enough to truly learn about these people and events. Would you show your students some examples of digital stories before sending them off to create their own or just give them a rubric and some instructions? I think that digital storytelling is a great way to make learning fun and give students a chance to explore new technolgies such as digital cameras and video recorders.
Megan Smith
I agree with a lot of the posts you made and Megan's response. As a social studies educator myself I agree that some of the most dynamic instruction available in our field is narrative. Digital storytelling is one of the greatest ways to incorporate that as a presentation tool for content for the students. It is also a great way to get the students to present their own comprehension of the materials you are introducing daily. I enjoyed your post a lot.
ReplyDelete"I feel that this is a fun and engaging way to integrate technology into the classroom. Students are always asked to complete research projects, by using digital storytelling it gives them a way to creatively report their finding." I completely agree with you that digital storytelling is a fantastic way for students to not only complete research, but report their findings in a way unique to them. The great thing about digital storytelling is that the students can really make it whatever they desire and be as creative with it as they like, while still addressing all requirements.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to requirements, I think you brought up an important poing with rubrics. A rubric is necessary to evaluate student work and ensure that each project is graded fairly. I have seen too many teachers comparing one student's work to another's as a means of justifying a grade. As long as the student meets the outlined requirements, they should receive the corresponding grade. I like how detailed you were about what you would require of your students in their digital storytelling... That is so important!
Awesome post! Thanks :)
Alyssa P
I am also glad to see you using digital storytelling with social studies. I also really appreciate that you are providing the students with a rubric ahead of time in order to direct the project. We have talked about this a lot lately in our Language Arts class. SO it;s nice to see you synthesize that info into this class.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great idea to introduce a new tool by having the students work on their projects in small groups. If you have students who have more experience using the computer them will be able to help those in the group who do not. Another good reason to have them work in small groups is the time factor. They can each work on a piece of the research and then put it together in the finished presentation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Stacy A