Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling allows everyday people to put their thoughts or experiences into motion by putting them into a short clip or digital presentation to share with others. It can range from a collaboration of still images presented in a slideshow put to music to a full motion video presentation. A lot of people are doing this everyday but do not realize they are. Youtube has become a way for people to put their stories and experiences out there for the world to see. While digital storytelling is being done to document many aspects of peoples lives we can also use it in education to allow students to experience the lessons and to show what they have learned in a new way. Doing so allows students to become more involved in the lessons and helps teachers to incorporate technology into the class in new ways. Students can map out their ideas ahead of time and review peers ideas before putting their ideas to work. Giving students new ways to experience and display their work allows teachers ways to evaluate student comprehension, lesson effectiveness, and gives students a sense of accomplishment when they have created their digital story for their teacher to see. There are resources available to help with development and places to see examples. Digital storytelling can help in opening and finishing lessons and can also be used within lessons to help increase students comprehension. This blog has links to multiple digital storytelling resources.

photo credit: dkapuler

 

 video credit: kvnblndng via youtube

Video in Education

     Using video in classrooms has been around since VHS tapes. They have been used as supplements to instruction to give students a different perspective of a lesson and to see the material in motion. This can be very useful when teaching a subject that requires in depth descriptions or complex material. Allowing students to visually see how things work and witness them happening can greatly increase their retention of the lessons. Video in the classroom has evolved since the times of VHS and now students are not only watching videos but they are creating and developing videos themselves to present to fellow students and teachers. This new use of videos allows students to reach higher levels of Blooms revised taxonomy.
     I think using already made videos can be a valuable resource and intend on using them in my classroom as long as I can find some that really drive home the point of the lesson or can help to facilitate learning of a lesson effectively. I do not think they are necessary for every lesson but do think for some lessons they can really help students to grasp some material. I would also like to allow students to create their own videos as a cap stone project to show how they bring all the material together into one final culminating point. There are resources available to teachers to help them integrate video production as a project. Below are some examples of ways that videos can be used in todays 21st century classroom.

Video Credit: Kristyna Maree via youtube

Video Credit: Cisco via youtube               

Web 2.0

 

Web 2.0 tools are continuing to gain popularity in todays classrooms. As teachers are introduced to the tools and sites available to them and ways to incorporate them classrooms are coming alive with student activity and contributions. Students are being introduced to new ways of being involved in the classroom and finding new ways to have their voice heard and potential seen in a new light. There are many resources out there for teachers to utilize to make a more interactive classroom.
In my limited use of web 2.0 tools, my favorite so far is linoit. I like that all students can post to it and can do so anonymously. I think this can be especially useful for those students that may be too shy to speak up in class. This tool can also allow a teacher to gauge student comprehension of a lesson and allow them to address any areas where they see a lack of understanding rather than just continuing to move on.

photo credit: gruetisabelle