Digital Storytelling and the 4th Grade

The curriculum based project that I would have my students work on is researching an influential American. . In this week’s readings, curriculum is described as “the knowledge, skills, and performance standards students are expected to acquire in particular grade levels…” (p. 324, Shelly, Gunter, and Gunter).  The fourth grade curriculum requires that this be covered so what a better way to share the information than through a digital story. Integrating current curriculum with technology is not always as simple as creating a digital story. Technology integration is not only about using technology but also using the proper technology for the task. The idea of picking the proper technology is something that was explored in great detail throughout my readings. While some teachers currently do use the proper technology, I think that many often do not. This is one of the several reasons why it is difficult to integrate technology into education. Teachers need to be taught how to pick proper technology based on the curriculum and the assignment that is to be completed.

Continuing on with this assignment I decided to expand on this idea of digital story telling with my hypothetical class. Given that this hypothetic class is a fourth grade ESOL classroom, I would want to keep this project as simple as possible—especially this being their first time using digital storytelling. Rather than just giving out the assignment and having students create a digital story, I would want this project to be multifaceted. To start off the project, I would have students in groups of four with assigned influential Americans. I would create a WebQuest where the students would go to specific sites to find specific information. (If you are wondering what is a WebQuest then click here). Creating a WebQuest will help the students not only find information, but become familiar with the internet and how to search for information properly. Guiding students this way shows them what types of sites provide valuble information and also how to use them. Once they have found all the required information, I would want them to think how they could present this information in a story format. Since it is about a person’s life, they could create a timeline or storyboard first.

As for the digital story I would want them to include text, sound, and be able to show a complete story.  Considering that this hypothetical class has never done a digital story, I would provide them with how-tos along with examples from sites such as The Center for Digital Storytelling. Furthermore, I would want to show them examples of other students their age who have created a digital story. I found a bunch of great examples from Scott County Schools in Georgetown, Kentucky. Not only would I want to provide the students with online resources, but I would also create some of my own that fit their grade level. I would create a PowerPoint about the basics of Digital Storytelling and also one about the basics of researching on the web. Many young students have not yet mastered the basics of the internet search so I feel that it is really important to cover this before starting to make a digital story. 

Overall, if I were to create a project where my students would use digital storytelling, I would want to make sure they understood all the elements before beginning. I would also create a project that would be easily doable for their grade level.

Once Upon A Time....(AR #4)

…there was a world where stories were only told by word of mouth. Parents would pass on stories from their childhood to their children and the tradition continued. Eventually, books were created and stories could now make their way around the world to just about anyone. With the creation of the computers, software, and the internet storytelling began to take a new digital form. Digital storytelling allows for stories to be told using video, sound, graphics, or any other type of digital element. While digital storytelling is something that is relatively new to many people, it is an extremely effective tool for the classroom. Don’t know what to do with the kid who won’t talk in class? What about the kid who had problems at home? The student who is so afraid to talk in front of the class that they refuse to? All of these problems can be solved with digital storytelling. This type of storytelling allows students to tell someone just about anything they want by creating a movie, PowerPoint, or Photo Story (this is a very small list of the available software that can be used). 

Throughout my reading this week in Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, I learned not only about a wide variety of media that can be included in the class, but also digital media authoring software. Digital media authoring software is a broad term that includes any type of software that can be used to create presentations for the computer. So, creating a digital story goes hand in hand with any digital media authoring software. 

Hmmm…so what do I do with all this new information?  Create a digital story using PowerPoint! I created a small slide show that just covers the basics of digital storytelling. Using SlideShare, I was able to embed the video into my blog. As for how I could grow with my use of digital storytelling, I would like to become more comfortable with it and be able to add sound, music, or voice over. Also, I would love to try to get my future students to use the idea of digital storytelling as a way for me to get to know them better.

Below is my SlideShare... :) 

Digital Storytelling 2

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Classroom Software and Inner Computer Workings

Here is the scenario:

-You are a classroom teacher with only one internet connected computer. Your principal has given you the opportunity to pick any type of computer program for your class and you have up to $1000 to spend on said program…oh, but you can’t do any upgrades to your computer. So, what type of software do you choose?-

This would most likely be an awesome scenario for teachers, but I on the other hand almost had a heart attack trying to decide on ONE type of software that I would find suitable for my hypothetical classroom. First, I had to decide on a grade level and what type of classroom setting. For this assignment I decided on a 4^th grade ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) classroom. Furthermore, these students are also inner-city children with very little knowledge of computers and many do not even have a computer at home. Okay, so what type of software would best benefit this group of students? The one program I found that I could actually see using regularly is Clicker 5.  Clicker 5 is a reading and writing tool for multiple grade levels. The main reason I picked this for my class is because I can see where it would really benefit ESOL students. Through Clicker 5, students can create stories using sounds, words, and pictures. The students can also hear their writing before being done with it so they know if the grammar is correct or not. ESOL students often need pictures or other manipulatives to help them understand new words and this software does just that.

 Next, I had to see if this software would even work on my “classroom” computer.  My first step was to find out how much memory (RAM) my computer has, screen resolution, video card, processor speed, and my operating system. Well, I knew my operating system was Windows XP, but was unsure of the others. I went to the control panel on my computer, searched under performance and maintenance.

I found that my computer contains:

·         Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.50 GHz.

·         Memory: 1.50 GHz, 1.99 GB RAM

·         Screen Resolution: 1280 x 800 bits

·         Video Card: Mobile Intel 965 Express with 384.0 MB memory

·         Removable Media Options: 4 USB ports, DVD/CD drive

Wow, I am sure that sounds so confusing to you if you are reading this and not in my class! But, really knowing what is in your computer is important when purchasing any type of software. The basic system requirements for Clicker 5 are as follows:

System Requirements

       Windows:

·         Pentium II 400 or greater

·         Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7

• 128 MB RAM
• 400 MB free disk space

Mac :

• Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or above
• Power PC or Intel processor
• 128 MB RAM
• 400 MB free disk space

( http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Writing/Clicker-5)

From this, I can determine that Clicker 5 would work on my computer since I have more than enough RAM , free space, and I have Windows XP. I had to do a little research about the processor but found that an Intel Core 2 Duo should work fine. 

Back to the inner workings of a computer, I learned a lot in this week’s reading from Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom by Shelly, Gunter, and Gunter. Personally, I feel that I am fairly comfortable with the inner workings of a computer because when I was in elementary school, I attended a summer camp each year at a place called Whisker’s Computer Kids.  We learned how to use word processing, create drawings, and we also learned about the different parts inside of a computer. In the text it explores these topics on a much more detailed level. For example, the book explains the difference between “volatile and nonvolatile” memory. Volatile can be lost or erased where as nonvolatile is not lost when the computer is turned off (p.208). Additionally, the text also explored what to look for when purchasing electronics. This special section of the text interested me because I have never actually purchased my own computer. The current computer that I own was purchased for me by my parents as a gift. While I do like my computer, it is definitely a lot larger than I would like. I have been contemplating purchasing a netbook for class and just because it is more portable. The book explains the average hard drive (160 GB) and other features.All in all, I found the buying guide portion of the text to be the most helpful .I never have had the opportunity to really research the different specs of computer/netbooks/smartphones .