Working+with+Digital+Content

Working with Digital Content - 21st century begins with student-centered projects Everyone has a story to tell. Visit the Tech4leaning site and see how Frames enhances the digital storytelling process. http://www.tech4learning.com/frames/digital_storytelling

Bernajean Porter, the author of Digitails shares, //“Good storytelling reaches down deep into our minds, hearts, and spirits—it connects the humanity in all of us. Through storytelling elements we can craft stories about life, experiences, and understandings into being very real for others. Good storytelling lets our students be deeply heard and honored. And those are the stories that need to be told!”

note: Additional information about Digital Storytelling and Bernajean Porter can be found at: http://www.digitales.us/ With the emphasis of Digital Storytelling in a Project-based learning environment, students will be encouraged to make curricular connections in a real-world setting. Math and science concepts will come to life. It will be evident that students are gaining concepts as they publish and share their work. Published material will then be available for review and tutoring. Students will be able to track their progress through rubric and formative assessment as they create their digital portfolio that will travel with them to their high-school career.

Additional tools can be used in the feeder magnet program to use digital tools and transform the teaching/learning environment. Students will be able to publish and use digital tools to record and creatively share their understanding of content. Students will address state standards, technology applications, NETS and 21st learning skills using critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication and collaboration.

Trading cards can be created to record literature that has been read. Students create trading cards sharing info on: author, illustrator, genre, plot, character, theme, etc. Cards can be traded and shared and easily displayed in trading card sleeves.

Art teachers will love the trading card concept as students create original works of art and publish as trading cards. Clay, sketches, oils, chalk drawings, etc can be photographed and then printed as trading cards to create an art portfolio that will travel with the students.

Science concepts, scientists, periodic table elements, geologic formations, classifications take on a new dimension as students create trading cards to share their connections to their learning. Another concept for science publishing is the eLab report. Students can research, gather data from experiments and publish on a webpage and use podcasts to publish a series of information about the concepts they are studying. They can extend their thirst for knowledge by extended research and interview experts in the field. Mentors and collaborations with higher education can extend the learning environment.

Coaches and Physical Education Teachers can use trading cards for students to make connections with athletes, rules for sports, healthy lifestyles, information. Student athletes can create trading cards to illustrate their aspirations in the field of sports as an athlete, trainer, sports medicine, broadcasting, etc.

History and geography can be shared as trading cards. Research without coping can be addressed with the outcome published as a trading card. Students learn about authentic research by using the interview process and publishing content in trading cards.

In addition to trading cards, students may have the novelty and choice of creating newsletters, graphics, mosaics, slideshows, movies, animations.

Podcasting gives students a voice. This tool for digital publishing allows students to collaborate with peers, establish a theme for publishing and share their knowledge with students in their school and across the world. WebBlender makes the process of creating web pages and publishing podcasts user friendly and intuitive. Teachers will love being able to spend time on content and not on teaching the technology. // Will send the link when published.

Also consider These Tech4Learning Social Studies activities. Frames and Secondary Social Studies http://www.tech4learning.com/userfiles/file/pdfs/Frames/Frames_Secondary_Social_Studies.pdf