Digital storytelling ideas to kick off the new school year
Photo by Isabella Fischer on Unsplash.
Here we are at the start of a brand new school year!
I think it always feels exciting - even exhilarating - to think about all that the upcoming year will hold. It’s almost like looking at a big present all wrapped up in shiny paper and imagining what’s inside.
Perhaps you have goals for the new year that include stretching yourself into new and creative ways of teaching. There are so many new trends in education and so much to explore! And maybe digital storytelling is one of those things you’ve been curious about and want to dig into in 2023/24.
I have been thinking about ways to use digital storytelling in your initial lessons or units and want to share 5 ideas for elementary and middle/high teachers. If you haven’t had a chance to try digital storytelling, maybe one of these ideas will be that spark that inspires you to give it a try and be a creator alongside your students.
If you have questions about using digital storytelling in 2023/24, please shoot me an email (leeanne@leeannelavender.com). I would love to hear from you!
5 Ideas for Middle/High School Teachers:
Introduce Yourself Stories: Start by sharing your own digital story about your journey as an educator, your interests, and your goals for the school year. This personal touch helps students connect with you on a deeper level and sets a positive tone for the class. Then have each student create a short digital story introducing themselves. This could include their background, hobbies, aspirations, and even a fun fact. This not only helps the students get to know each other but also gets them familiar with the digital tools they'll be using. It also creates a classroom culture where students feel seen and heard, and this can have a profound impact on students’ sense of social and emotional well-being.
Digital Citizenship Narratives: Create a digital storytelling project around the theme of digital citizenship. Students could create stories that highlight the importance of responsible online behavior, respecting digital privacy, or dealing with cyberbullying. This helps instill good digital citizenship habits from the beginning and opens up important conversations about online safety. You could even use these stories to create group norms for digital engagement throughout the year.
My Digital Journey: Encourage students to reflect on their own digital journeys. They could create narratives about their experiences with technology, both positive and negative, and how these experiences have shaped their digital skills and perspectives.
Setting Learning Goals: Help students set their academic goals for the year through digital storytelling. They can create narratives that illustrate their aspirations, strategies they plan to use for success, and the challenges they anticipate overcoming. Helping students to reflect on their own learning with a meta perspective, and to understand how to use strategies that support their success, is a valuable investment of time.
Virtual Classroom Tour: Have students create virtual tours of your classroom or school campus. This is a fun way for them to get familiar with their new learning environment and can serve as a helpful introduction for any remote or new students.
With any of these ideas, you may need to provide guidance on narrative structure, visual aesthetics, and the responsible use of digital content. Through these activities, you're not only fostering creativity and engagement but also helping students develop important skills that are crucial in today's digital world.
5 Ideas for Elementary Teachers:
Digital Show and Tell: Encourage students to bring a favorite toy or item to school and create a simple digital story where they introduce the item, share why it's special, and maybe even tell a short imaginative story about it. Apps like Flip (Apple and Android friendly) and Chatterpix (Apple users only) would be excellent tools for this type of experience.
Interactive Alphabet Stories: For pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, assign each student a letter of the alphabet. They can then create short digital stories about something that starts with that letter, combining images and words.
Visual Story Sequencing: Choose a familiar story, fable, or fairy tale. Have students create digital stories where they arrange pictures or images in the correct sequence, helping them grasp the concept of story structure.
Exploring Emotions: Guide students in creating digital stories that focus on emotions. They can use simple drawings, icons, or images to depict various emotions and create short narratives about situations that lead to these feelings.
Mini Nature Documentaries: If possible, take the class on a nature walk or have them explore the schoolyard. Then, help them create mini digital documentaries about the plants, insects, or animals they've discovered. They could even use photos they take themselves while on the nature walk.
With young learners, simple instructions and hands-on guidance will encourage creativity and exploration. Utilizing interactive tools, colorful visuals, and simple text can make the digital storytelling experience exciting and educational for these early elementary students.
I hope these ideas are helpful in ideating some simple ways to incorporate digital storytelling at the start of the 2023/24 school year! If you try any of these, please let me know. I would love to hear your story and post it here on the blog so others can learn from your experience, too!
