The past two months (where did that time go?) has been extremely educational for me as I have been welcomed into a vast array of classes at the elementary and middle school levels.  One of the common themes that I have seen throughout the classes is storytelling.  Whether it has been for language arts, math, social studies, science, or even PBAs – in one form or another, students are explaining their thinking through storytelling.  I love this!  Storytelling is great in that it allows students to be reflective thinkers while giving them a medium to both communicate and collaborate with others.  It is also an avenue to explore global thinking and to be critical thinkers.  In other words, if your are trying to think about how to infuse our 21st century skills matrix into your daily instruction – digital storytelling just might be the ticket (with all respects to Jon Lovitz).

For those who are unfamiliar with the term digital storytelling, you might be asking: What is it?  Digital storytelling is the art of combining a narrative with digital content.  This might include audio, images, and videos with the goal of creating a short movie. 

My next few posts are going to be focused on the art of digital storytelling; more specifically, how to work with your students to create digital stories. In our district the kids have access to two devices: Chromebooks and iPads.  My personal preference is to create digital stories on the iPad (only because it is easier and there is more flexibility in design) – but my first few posts will be how to use Chromebooks to create a digital story. 

If you are interested in me coming into your classroom to work with you and your class to work on digital stories, just let me know.  I am also available for team or personal planning if you’d like to brainstorm ideas together.