Tell a story...a short story

I love storytelling.  I love the creative process and life that a story can take on as it is being created.  Being able to use technology is an extremely valuable tool in being able to bring a story to life.  There are many tools that you can use to do this - but they are not going to do much good without a story.  

Start simple... really simple.  Creativity through minimalism.  That is the idea.  When there is a limited amount of material to create a digital story from - the challenge will not be finishing the project.  The challenge will be using a medium to get the most out of the source material.  It will also give students a chance to experiment and learn without feeling overwhelmed. 

One of the most important things that need to happen once the stories have been created is the ability for the entire class to view the finished stories together.  This is a great way to have a conversation that allows for feedback and discussion about the stories that will allow the students to be better prepared for their next story.  As they progress with their digital storytelling skills, obviously the length of the stories becomes less of an issue - and the process will become part of their thinking.

I know that it seems like a logical progression.  The more they practice the appropriate process - the more they will be able to rely on the process to take on projects of a greater scope.  This does not mean that they should always be expected to create more as time goes on.  Putting certain constraints on a storytelling project forces them to be more creative in how they present their story.  This is always a fun and appropriate way for them to exercise their storytelling and multimedia skills.

Game Based Learning

I have mentioned Edutopia as a reference very recently on this blog.  One section of this site is devoted to provided resources for game based learning models.  You can check it out here.

Games are always an important part of the classroom, but some teachers are really taking it to the next level. The concept of using an in-depth game (technology-based, or not) is a very interesting topic to explore. When the game involves research, strategy, collaboration, and competition - it can be such an awesome way for teachers to engage students in a subject area.  There are a few videos on this page that are really inspiring in how they pull this off.  It is a whole different ballgame than just playing jeopardy or another quiz game that inserts material as a review (which definitely still has a place).  I wonder what it would be like to be a student that knew that they were going to be playing a strategy game in class at school.  How would that change their level of engagement?  Is this type of curriculum a good fit for all kids? I do think that this is a great way to shift towards a classroom facilitator.  You can view a short video below that introduces how the concept is playing out in a junior high history class.

Skitch it up!

Screenshots are something that make life much easier, and visual.  I have used and recommended different simple tools in the past for taking screenshots.  There are many that do this just fine, and if you have one that you like - I am not saying that you need to stop using it (...but maybe you should).  Skitch can be used simply to take a capture of your screen, or an area of your screen.  What makes it unique is that it also allows you to annotate very easily on top of the screen capture, or any other image you might have.  Once you have made your markings on your image, you can then save it on your computer.  Since this is an Evernote product, you can also save it to your Evernote account if you want.  If you don't want to use Evernote - you don't have to.  This is a stand alone program that you do not need an account to use.  Below is a quick look at a picture I quickly took with my webcam and then marked up with Skitch.  Easy peasy.  I promise.  You will need to download this program onto your device, but it is free with no account necessary.

Quality Writing Prompts

Good writing prompts are important.  Awhile ago, I wrote about this site, which does an excellent job at coming up with interesting, visual prompts that provide students with a starting point for them to elaborate through creative writing.  (Note: these prompts are intended to be used with high school students, but I think that most of them can find a place in the junior high setting, as well.) Even if the prompts don't always apply to your class or level, they are worth taking a look at.  The style and visual manner that they use are definitely something that you can adapt to your own classroom.  Below is an example from the site - and as you can see, there are common core standards connected to each prompt. Visit writingprompts.tumblr.com for more.