Our next live session of TLP-C is this Thursday, January 23rd from 4-5pm EST (Click here to find out when the event is in your timezone!) on using Digital Storytelling with English Language Learners. Anyone is welcome to join the session. Just click on this link to join us:
Click Here: TLP-C Sessions #5 – Digital Storytelling with ELL
Sandra Rojas is a English Language Learner teacher who works in a juvenile detention facility. She has had great success with using digital stories to get her students practicing their English language skills while gaining valuable technology skills. While her experience is primarily with English Language Learners, her ideas and experience translate well to work with all students.
In this session we will:
- learn how to help students generate ideas for writing.
- discuss the writing process for digital stories.
- learn about the available tools that can be used for digital storytelling.
- get helpful tips for increasing student enthusiasm for writing.
Digital storytelling opens a whole new world on how your students write.
If you have already done some digital storytelling in your classes, please join us and share your experiences! Digital stories can be so rich and diverse, everyone’s ideas make the conversation stronger!
1-23-2014
Again my mind is reeling from the tremendous possibilities we have to motivate our students to read, write, and explore every content area! They have authentic means of sharing their knowledge with other students and with so many other people. Today’s session was filled tools for Digital storytelling. Thank you very much, Sandra!
I have a content topic that I would like to create a more interactive exciting way for students to learn. I plan to choose one of the tools from today to try it out and see how my students can benefit! “Go animate” sounded like it was fairly simple, had great features, and reads text. I hope I understood correctly. I’ll let you know how it goes.
My only disappointment is that there are so many wonderful tools that I don’t have time to try them all. I wish there was a way to try and see which tools have the features that would be key for the students with whom I work. Yuan Gao mentioned that in today’s session. I wonder if we could create a Google spreadsheet with items like:
Name of tool, way to access, ease-of-use, possible grade range, best features, challenges, student reactions, requirements (i.e. e-mail addresses)
People could add a tool and fill out as many of the columns as they could. Other people might add other insights to the same tool. What other columns might help us decide which tools could be the best for our students?
This would be a wonderful resource for all ACPS teachers! It might encourage teachers who are not as familiar with technology to try something that may be fairly easy and very motivating!
Another great repository could be for the creations of students. Can you imagine the learning that would result from students viewing peer projects from across the city! Motivation to do a good job when a project is published to a wider audience can be exponential as compared with a project created for a grade.
Susan, I love your idea of the spreadsheet. We should definitely do it.
Has anyone started one? What information would be helpful for a teacher to try a type of technology included?
I recently attended ATIA conference which held a plethora of great strategies and technology to help all students! I am trying to figure out the best way to share. I need insight from teachers to know what information would excite them about trying new technology. What format would be the best for them to find it easily? What would make it attractive? Thanks for any ideas!