Storytelling in a Digital World

Digital storytelling is an increasingly popular technological tool used in the classroom. Digital storytelling is an approach to telling stories unlike the typical oral traditions or reading aloud from storybooks. The stories last anywhere from one to ten minutes and engage listeners not only with the words of the story but also with images, audio clips, and music. With so many computer-based tools available, digital stories reach students of many different learning styles and profiles. 

With so many options at our fingertips, teachers can implement digital storytelling in the classroom in a myriad of ways. For example, I would first use a digital story in my classroom to introduce myself to my students. I typically only talk for a couple of minutes in order to introduce myself, but that approach only reaches the auditory learners. Using a digital format to tell my story to my students reaches visual, auditory, and even kinesthetic learners with photographs, music, and audio and video clips. By using digital storytelling to introduce myself to my class, I would also be modeling its use for my students. They could thus see what digital stories can do and show for when they create their own in the future.

Another way I might incorporate digital stories in my English classroom would be to have students write their own stories (using their 6-trait writing skills) and translate them into digital form. The students could write their stories, record them, then find appropriate sounds and images to supplement their stories. This would exercise their writing abilities, computer proficiency, and oral communication skills all in one project.

I could also integrate digital storytelling into my literature lesson plans for students. I would place students into small groups to create a digital story from the perspective of a character in the novel we are reading in class. Students would work together in writing from viewpoint of their assigned character and how that character might feel about a certain event in the plot. The students would record their character stories, add matching images and sounds, and present to the class so that everyone gets a chance to learn about each character. On any given day, we could be listening and watching digital stories about Prince Hamlet’s struggle to expose his uncle-king Claudius, Boo Radley’s choice to save Jem Finch, or Colonel Graff’s defense of his treatment of Ender Wiggin.

I believe digital storytelling can be a great asset to any classroom if used appropriately. The digital stories should always be implemented with learning as their primary goal. Digital storytelling promotes creativity, fosters computer skills, and encourages both teachers and students to work beyond the written word. I can see many possibilities for my future classroom and the digital story format.

George and Lenny: 21st Century Wyld Stallyns

It was only a few days ago that I had even heard the term “WebQuest.” Unfortunately, the high school I attended never took advantage of the WebQuest and all it has to offer any classroom. Thankfully, I have learned at just the right time that WebQuests are an amazing tool that I will surely implement in my classroom. WebQuests are great activities to use in almost any content area that will keep students engaged and taken an interactive role in their learning. WebQuests emphasize inquiry and discovery of the content area as well as computer and internet skills.

One creative example of a WebQuest that I particularly admired is an activity based around John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and simultaneously reminiscent of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (try to count the references). The WebQuest is entitled “George and Lenny’s Most Excellent Adventure.” The WebQuest is based upon the novel’s two main characters and their backgrounds. According to the task provided, George and Lenny have been transported through time into the 2000s. Students are required to brainstorm, research, present, and reflect on how to get the men jobs in modern-day California.

Students analyze Steinbeck’s novel and transfer their knowledge into the real world of today. They apply what they know of George’s and Lenny’s skills from the book and access their prior knowledge of current job markets to find the protagonists employment. After researching and brainstorming, the students prepare a presentation (without the help of historical figures stuffed in a phone booth) on how their plans will help George and Lenny find work. Afterwards, they write reflections about what they have learned about the Great Depression, Steinbeck’s novel, job opportunities, and how they can use what they have learned. Lastly, they must consider and explore how discrimination, mental disabilities, immigration, and homelessness might affect George and Lenny and their opportunities to find gainful employment.

There are many aspects of this WebQuest that I like. I particularly enjoy the relevance to today’s world. Everyone knows how difficult finding work can be in today’s economy, but having the students really research the extent of unemployment as well as how to find jobs for specified labor skills brings the assignment into the real world. I also like the added realism of bring Lenny’s disabilities and George’s racism into the assignment—these issues would most certainly affect people seeking jobs in today’s world. This WebQuest seeks to answer how. Furthermore, I greatly appreciate the excellent references to Bill and Ted.

Overall, this is a great activity for students studying Of Mice and Men who also want some exposure to technology. One of the best suggestions toward the end of this WebQuest is to turn this assignment into a service learning project to advocate for a particular group of people at the students’ discretion. This service learning will surely help students be excellent to each other. And, as Abe Lincoln advised, party on, dudes!

I Read, You Read, We All Read...Except Guys?

A lot of media attention has been given to the story of girls’ troubles in math classes throughout the country. Many studies show that girls have recently been struggling in math classes. These troubles do not arise because of an inability to do math; rather, sociological pressures and lack of teacher attention often causes girls to fall behind in math classes. But, none of these news stories address the other side of the gender coin. Boys are also struggling in school for the same reasons. However, these problems occur in a different subject: English.

For the last thirty years, boys have been scoring worse than girls in every age group, every year on U.S. Department of Education reading tests. Boys in the eighth grade are 50% more likely to be held back than girls. Boys make up two-thirds of high school special education classes. College enrollment is consistently lower for boys than girls. So, what contributes to this litany of inequalities?

Some biological differences between boys and girls could be partially responsible. Boys’ minds and bodies are slower to develop than girls and thus struggle more with reading and writing. As the reading and writing gets more difficult, girls manage to keep up while many boys are left behind.

Social expectations of boys are also to blame. Our society pressures boys to be competitive and active while expecting girls to be quiet and passive. Girls are hence encouraged to adopt reading as a pastime while boys are urged to play sports. Boys are also taught to suppress their feelings. They often do not feel comfortable exploring the emotions expressed in fiction. Male role models in reading and writing are also greatly lacking. So, someone is finally doing something about it.

And that someone is Jon Scieszka. You may have heard of him. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs? The Stinky Cheese Man? Scieszka is a popular children’s author and literacy advocate. He launched the web-based literacy program Guys Read in order to counteract the negative pressures placed on boys and reading. His website aims to encourage boys to become “self-motivated, lifelong readers,” urging teachers and schools to adopt more accessible and interesting reading materials like graphic novels, and gathering grown men to function as literacy role models. He has even compiled a series of books (Guys Read) filled with stories written by popular male authors.

I highly recommend his website to any teachers and parents of boys as well as the male students themselves. It is a great resource for more information about boys’ reading rates and trends. It also provides lists of books with the guy stamp of approval. The site offers resources for boys’ interests that simultaneously engage their literacy skills. The website as a whole promotes boys’ learning both in the classroom and outside of it. While girls need to know that they are just as smart in math, boys need to know that they can read as well as anyone else. So, take a page out of Jon Scieszka’s book…literally. Find a boy who is important to you and hand him a book. You never know what a difference it will make in his life.

For more information, visit the Guys Read website.

Public School Partners Provide Pupils' Protracted Proficiency

IBM Partners with Public Schools to Give Students a Chance

The real world is a scary place. I speak from hearsay, of course, as I have yet to actually step into that real world. Though I have a foot in the door leading there, the majority of my body remains safely tucked away in my stable, comfortable college world. However, I will be thrust into that harsh reality in which so many live soon enough. I will have to face the growing possibility of not finding a job with the current level of unemployment across the country. I will have to take on the huge numbers of baby-boomer offspring vying for a limited number of positions. I will have to hope that my résumé shines just a little bit more than the other candidates. So, what’s the point? Nothing is going to change any time soon. So, why should it matter? Because we can change it.

We can affect the change we want to see in this scary, real world. And people have already started. Pathways in Technology Early College High School (also known as P-Tech) is a higher education institution in Brooklyn, New York. P-Tech is partnering with IBM in order to educate and employ students in the field of technology.

Currently, there are over 1600 job vacancies at IBM due to the dearth of qualified applicants. The P-Tech partnership seeks to remedy this issue. The high school aims to give students the skills and tools they will need for future careers at IBM. The school functions under a “9-through-14 model” where students attend the school for six years rather than the traditional four. In these additional two years, students gain more proficiency in mathematics and science as well as earn their associate’s degree in applied science. In order to achieve such proficiency, the individual school day has also been lengthened by several hours.

This pairing of the tech industry with public high schools solves several problems. First, IBM fills its job openings with qualified individuals. Second, students receive instruction tailored to their current interests and future careers. Third and possibly most important, students receive a free college education in the additional two years at P-Tech. Thus, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds can get an education that they might not otherwise have received. Students are enabled to enter the workforce with a competitive edge and job-readiness skills.

P-Tech hosts open admissions for students to attend their school based on students’ top choices. Once the students are there, they are taught skills and information that directly apply to IBM’s work. But the school-IBM relationship does not end there. The school curriculum was created with the help from IBM employees, and each student is matched with an IBM mentor who they meet twice a week online. The relationship also extends beyond P-Tech’s doors. Once the students graduate, they are guaranteed first choice for available jobs at IBM.

IBM plans to expand this project into other schools in order to foster the growth of students in the tech world. In the next ten years, 14 million jobs will be created for those with associate’s degrees. Hopefully, this IBM program will help fill many of those positions.

Suddenly, that real world doesn’t look so scary.

For more information on IBM's initiative, check out the CNN article.

To E-Read or Not to E-Read?

To E-Read or Not to E-Read?

That Is the Question

E-Readers are a relatively new technology being employed in classrooms around the country. The typical e-reader is a portable device that uses very little energy to digitally display printed materials from books, magazines, and newspapers. There are even e-readers that have access to the internet in order to display electronic sources. They most often provide black and white text in “e-ink” rather than with an LCD back-lit screen. Furthermore, many e-readers allow their readers to resize the text, highlight, annotate, and bookmark pages. These features make e-readers very similar to printed books.

So, why might this technology be useful in a classroom? Well, there are several advantages to an e-reader for readers in general and specifically students. As previously stated, most e-readers utilize e-ink rather than LCD screens. This absence of back-lighting reduces eye strain and eliminates glare so texts may be read in the sun. Thus, students are able to read electronic documents that would normally only be available on their back-lit computer screens. With the e-reader, students gain access to such documents and spare their eyes in the process.

Over the past few years, e-readers have grown in popularity throughout the nation’s schools. Students download textbooks to their e-readers and have access to their information all in one place. Rather than hauling five heavy textbooks between school and home, students can maintain all of their books in the light, portable e-reader. Most e-readers also offer their users the opportunity to annotate, highlight, and bookmark pages in a text. These capabilities make using e-readers as easy as using printed sources.

E-readers improve upon their printed counterparts relative to the resizable fonts, affordable prices, and ecological impact. For students with disabilities, e-readers often offer text-to-speech options as well as resizable fonts. Students are thus able to hear what the text says as well as enlarge it to better see. E-readers can also offer better prices than printed books. Many texts that have outlived their copyright dates are available for free in electronic format. Rather than purchasing a printed text from a bookstore, students can now receive the same texts for free or at reduced prices on their e-readers. In addition, e-readers provide the environmentally-conscious student with an ecologically responsible option for reading required school texts. E-readers differ from books in the most obvious way: they are not made from paper. Thus, thousands of pages of paper can be saved from investing in an e-reader that does not kill any trees. Go green!

However, this teacher cautions any who wishes to invest in an e-reader. There are several negative features of the device. Due to their expense and oft extensive libraries, e-readers are frequently subject to theft. This becomes a major problem for the student who houses all of his or her reading materials on the single device. Damage to the device is also a concern. Dropping a printed text or spilling liquid on a traditional textbook does not typically render the book useless. However, doing so to an e-reader could very well destroy the device. This can be a serious problem relative to younger students.

Overall, I believe the e-reader will continue to shape many classrooms with its predominantly positive attributes. The future of the devices is bright. For use in schools, e-reader companies are currently developing capabilities for electronic flashcards, pronunciation glossaries, embedded videos, and collaborative note-taking. Tablet-style e-readers will also offer the opportunity for teachers to communicate with their students during class through their devices with interactive charts, maps, and other visual information.

As a teacher with an e-reader, I highly recommend the use of the device for the classroom. And if your school does not move in that direction, I can also recommend e-readers for personal use by students and teachers alike. The greatest benefit I have encountered while using my e-reader has been the instant access. So, when you finish the first book in The Hunger Games series, you can instantly download the next book onto your e-reader. I am not aware of any bookstore open at 3 AM, but my e-reader bookstore certainly is!

Information about e-readers taken from EDUCAUSE's March 2010 article: 7 Things You Should Know about E-Readers .