Once Upon a TIME...
Once upon a time.... How many stories have we read that begin that way? When I read those words, a sense of nostalgia washes over me, and I begin to feel cozy and warm. Those words take me back to my childhood when things were simpler and stories always had happy endings. Hearing, telling, and reading stories are comforting and familiar activities, and are an integral curriculum component in today's classrooms.
Once upon a time.... How many stories have we read that begin that way? When I read those words, a sense of nostalgia washes over me, and I begin to feel cozy and warm. Those words take me back to my childhood when things were simpler and stories always had happy endings. Hearing, telling, and reading stories are comforting and familiar activities, and are an integral curriculum component in today's classrooms.
Digital Storytelling seems to be a new trend in educational technology. I am in my third term as a grad student, and this is the fourth class where we talked about digital storytelling - and I had to do a digital storytelling project in each class - to which I say, "YAY!" I am totally on board with the whole idea of digital storytelling - it is engaging, creative, and reaches so many different kinds of learners in so many different ways. You have graphics and videos for your visual learners. You have sound effects, music, dialogue, and narration for your aural learners. You have buttons to click, storyboards to create, and a project to do for your tactile learners. In creating digital stories for your students, the use of technology enhances the story beyond belief. But, when you allow your students the opportunity to create their own digital stories, the learning potential is incredible!
I once was working in a college learning lab and created some tutorials for the prep math, prep reading, and prep writing courses. Instead of making stale PowerPoint slides about the Order of Operations in math, I made up a story about a doctor, Dr. Heinrich Zyphenblaza, who slept through class when the instructor went over the correct order in which to perform an operation on a patient. Because he missed that lesson, when he tried to operate on a person, he flubbed it, and lost his medical license. As a result, he retreated to the Swiss Alps where he studied math, and noticed that when he did certain math problems, he would get different results, depending on the order in which he calculated the problem. Then, he gave a short explanation, with examples, about Order of Operations. At the end of the PowerPoint, the student is given the opportunity to do some practice problems. Creative? I think so. Did it grab the students' attention? Definitely - from the "Doctor, Doctor!" introduction at the beginning of the presentation - to the silly humor in the middle - to the Xrays of the math problems on the screen. Effective? Yes. I had so many students tell me that they could remember the correct order after seeing that presentation because they remembered Dr. Heinrich Zyphenblaza (well, maybe not his name, but they remembered what he DID). I also made digital story-like PowerPoints that covered Tone Words, Greatest Common Factor, and Prepositions (note: this PowerPoint is unfinished). I found that the story was the attention-grabber, and once I got their attention, the concept could be introduced. In addition, presenting the subject matter in story form allows the student to relate to it in a more personal way.
I used to teach elementary music. I had extensive aural training during my schooling. I am not an aural learner, though. There are three types of learners: Auditory, Visual, and Tactile. I know now that I am a visual learner and a tactile learner. In school, in math, I could not do a problem (especially word problems) without drawing a picture. For example, I am so visual, that when my coworker mentions that after 5 pm we have a skeleton crew working, I actually picture a bunch of skeletons sitting at their desks, working. Given the choice of doing a 5-page research paper that might take me two weeks to write or a five-minute video presentation that might take me four weeks to create, I'd take the video in a heartbeat. I love to write, but I love to do projects even more. Get me down and dirty into the heart and soul of a lesson, and I will totally embrace the subject, and therefore, I will retain more of the material.
While I earned good grades in school, I always felt that I struggled to make those good grades. I remember reading my textbooks for hours and not remembering a thing I read after I finished. I sat in class and took diligent notes, studied them each night, but that really wasn't helpful either. Both methods of learning were passive. My happiest times in school were when we were assigned a project like "Draw a comic strip about the characters in suchinsuch book" or "Make a diorama about sea life". Those assignments were so memorable for me, not only because I got to MAKE something, but because it became an individualized lesson. Whatever I created came from me, my interpretation of what I learned, and that was motivating to me. I STILL remember, 32 years later, a project I did as an alternative to a book report in 5th grade: I recreated a scene from the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I made a 3D model of the Chocolate Room, complete with little Oompa Loompa figures and a cocoa-brown-colored fabric "chocolate" waterfall held up by two camouflaged drinking straws. I included every detail I could think of and make to replicate the vision I had in my head. One might say that writing a book report is more educational, and more students should write! write! write! And I agree, to a certain extent. Writing IS incredibly important, and knowing how to write is crucial for our students. But, when a student just regurgitates what he or she has read, have they really learned anything? Has the book really come alive for them? Will they remember the information three days later? a month later? a year later? 32 years later? If we can incorporate more creative lessons for our students, the results in their learning increases exponentially. The ineffable learning potential is immense. The process of creating is active, and it draws on the highest levels of cognitive learning as well.
So, now, while I am not currently teaching, I can see how bringing a subject to life via storytelling can have a BIG impact on our students. "Educators recognize that technology can serve as an extremely powerful tool that can help alleviate some of the problems of today's schools. Motivating students to learn is one area that all educators constantly are trying to achieve. Technology has the potential to increase student motivation and class attendance" (Shelly 330). For the purposes of this current project, I am teaching an imaginary class of first graders. My challenge this week is to come up with a digital storytelling idea for my students to create in reading. Since repetition is so important when learning to read, I want to assist my students in writing a digital story that has repeating or patterned sections, and each student can write their own section. This could be a great rhyming lesson, too.
THE STORY: A Mischievous Monkey
Students will add their contribution to the following scenario. "A mischievous monkey escaped the zoo! Oh no! What will he do?" Then each student will answer the question of what they think the monkey will do. The "mischievous monkey" phrase will precede ever student answer. For instance,
Each student will draw a picture of their answer. After the pictures have been scanned into the computer, I will import them into a slide show-type program like Movie Maker, PhotoStory, or even PowerPoint. The student will type their answer onto the scanned in picture. Then each student will record themselves reading their contribution into Audacity. I could record myself saying, "A mischievous monkey escaped the zoo." The entire class could say, "Oh no! What will he do?" I will import the sounds into the slide show, and assist the students in creating a transition between their slide and the next one.
This is a project that could also be done with Reading Buddies (if the buddies were 4th grade and up) or with a parent volunteer.
This kind of story is a "Question and Answer" story. I found a neat little writer's workshop site about how to introduce this subject to your students. I would use some of the tips on this page with my students to show the kind of story we are writing. In addition, I'd share the following sites with my students for ideas:
THE STORY: A Mischievous Monkey
Students will add their contribution to the following scenario. "A mischievous monkey escaped the zoo! Oh no! What will he do?" Then each student will answer the question of what they think the monkey will do. The "mischievous monkey" phrase will precede ever student answer. For instance,
- A mischievous monkey escaped the zoo! Oh no! What will he do? Student 1: The monkey will hang from the trees and giggle.
- A mischievous monkey escaped the zoo! Oh no! What will he do? Student 2: The monkey will eat one hundred bananas.
- A mischievous monkey escaped the zoo! Oh no! What will he do? Student 3: The monkey will roller skate down the street.
Each student will draw a picture of their answer. After the pictures have been scanned into the computer, I will import them into a slide show-type program like Movie Maker, PhotoStory, or even PowerPoint. The student will type their answer onto the scanned in picture. Then each student will record themselves reading their contribution into Audacity. I could record myself saying, "A mischievous monkey escaped the zoo." The entire class could say, "Oh no! What will he do?" I will import the sounds into the slide show, and assist the students in creating a transition between their slide and the next one.
This is a project that could also be done with Reading Buddies (if the buddies were 4th grade and up) or with a parent volunteer.
This kind of story is a "Question and Answer" story. I found a neat little writer's workshop site about how to introduce this subject to your students. I would use some of the tips on this page with my students to show the kind of story we are writing. In addition, I'd share the following sites with my students for ideas:
While this is just in the planning stages, I can see how this could make a great class project. And, since we are creating it as a digital story, we can share it with the rest of the school and with the parents. All stories need to be told; using technology is essential in telling today's students' stories.
When I was typing the title of this week's post, I thought of an acronym for TIME: (Technology Integration Means Excitement!)
Until next week...
~ Christi S
References:
Shelly, G.B., Gunter, G.A., & Gunter, R.E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Course Technology.
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