This document discusses adding engagement to the classroom through digital storytelling. It notes that bored students do not learn and students need motivation. While teachers want to engage students, they often lack time and resources to teach technology. The document suggests that digital storytelling can engage students by allowing them to express themselves using different modalities and intelligences. It provides suggestions for how to implement digital storytelling, such as starting simply and providing structured support and resources.

1. ADDING ENGAGEMENT TO
THE CLASSROOM
S. Foster
03-14-2012

2. Why engagement: as a parent and a teacher I
noticed
 Bored students do not learn.
 Students need the “WIFM” or what’s in it for me angle.
 Parents and students are tired of learning strictly for
assessment.
 Teachers are tired of teaching to a specific agenda.
 Too many learning levels in a classroom to reach each
one with a standard teacher centered class.
 What will help alleviate the pressure?
 Engaged students. How? Digital Resources such as
Digital Storytelling.

3. Why are we not doing digital story telling
now?
 I surveyed teachers at my school.
 Overall, not enough time to teach the technology
side and how to write.
 Struggle to integrate technology for 22 students
with only 6 computers in a class.
 The learning curve of teaching each student how
to create a digital story.

4. Students: Some Misconceptions
 Students know how to use technology because
they are growing up with it.
Students may know how to play games and use a
phone. Students do not know how to use software
to produce assignments.
 Students do not have access to technology.
We don’t tell students not to do a book report
because they don’t own a book. Students can go to
the public library, they have many computers there.

5. The Engagement Angle
Teachers say: What do engaged students look like?
 “Want to learn.”
 “Are more awake”
 “Excited to raise their hand.”
 “Seem happier.”
 “complete their work”

6. Is it not worth the time to teach the tech side?
Students will come to me in the hopes that I will
listen to their weekend story.
When I have to say, “It is not story time right now we
have to do _______.” I see the light in their face
dim. I damaged a potential time for engagement.
 Students are hungry to tell their story.
 Students want to be heard and understood.

7. I believe it is worth the time to add a
digital story component to the
lesson plans.

8. Digital Stories
 Offer multiple modalities to assist learning.
 Auditory, Visual or kinesthetic, use of technology
bridges multiple modalities
 Differentiated instruction?
 Create leveled rubrics based on grade or level for
scoring projects.

9. Incorporate Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
into Digital Story Telling.
 Linguistic and verbal intelligence: good with words
 Logical intelligence: good with math and logic
 Spatial intelligence: good with pictures
 Body/movement intelligence: good with activities
 Musical intelligence: good with rhythm
 Interpersonal intelligence: good with communication
 Intrapersonal intelligence: good with analyzing things
 Naturalist intelligence: good with understanding natural
world
 http://homeworktips.about.com/od/learningstyles/ss/multiple.htm

10. All of Gardner’s intelligences can
be applied to learning how to
complete a digital story.

11. Where do you start?
In 4th grade:
 A simple 1-5 paragraph story typed in Word or
processing software. (based on student level)
 A 3-5 slide PowerPoint or presentation software
about their story.
 Create a scoring rubric to make grading easy.
 Time taken: First thirty minutes of school day for a
week. Students will arrive early to work on their
story. I have seen it happen.

12. Not enough time or computers?
 Make it a center rotation.
 Rotate computers with reading, writing time.
 Make a special computer lab or library trip.
 If you have a mobile computer lab arrange time.
 Ask for parent volunteers to come in and help?

13. Teach a student to fish?
 Once they have learned the basics of creating a
document or a presentation, the investment of
time pays off in other ways.
 Students will start giving you ideas for
assignments they would like to create.
What a gift digital stories can bring to a classroom.