Category Number V

Keywords digital storytelling, writing, creativity, narrative Other suggested tools Animoto http://animoto.com Mixbook www.mixbook.com Creaza www.creaza.com

Digital storytelling
URL address of suggested tools Our story www.ourstory.com Glogster www.glogster.com

Rationale The traditional text-oriented teaching/learning cannot offer a global vision of the learner's needs. As educational landscape is constantly growing the incentives need to be multifarious and creative. Digital Storytelling tools offer great possibility to engage students actively in composing texts and searching for additional material. They also promote teamwork and collaboration with classmates and develop student's ability to reflect critically on their own L2 experience which is necessary for making progress in learning. Digital Storytelling tools are creative and active way how to motivate and engage students in learning languages. The greatest benefits of these tools in the L2 process are: improvement of students writing skills. connection on an emotional level with people and events in stories and with at the same time with experiences in our own lives. promotion of creativity and expressing ones personality. helping students communicate and express themselves more effectively using audio visual contents. growing teaming and collaboration skills through practiced opportunities to co-produce group projects. engagement of students in dynamic and interactive processes of learning. lowering of students constraints and inconformity related with productive skill. enhancement of classroom discussion, community and global awareness, and a connection between students and wider community. Description In today's digitized world, visual storytelling is an important classroom tool popular as well for its affordability and accessibility. Digital Storytelling tools enable creating stories and posters to express information. These tools offer sharing life events, experience and other information using text, images, video and links to additional web resources related to the topic. After writing a story or creating a poster your work is saved in the tool itself and can be shared with others by email, or embedded into various blogs or websites. Using these tools promotes students creativity and self-expression, and helps to develop team collaboration among students in the classroom. Students can create and present their own individual or team projects. For teachers these are valuable and versatile tools that can be integrated in various areas including not only languages but as well other curricular field (science, history, art, music...). Using these tools can also improve relationships among students and a teacher by exploring Web 2.0 and learning concepts together. Use of digital storytelling tools in the classroom for producing personalized and original text-based results keep teachers and students up to date with modern technology in a very amusing way.

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The project Autonomous Personal Learning Networks for Language Teachers has been funded with support from the European Commission. This document reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Resources required No special equipment to use these tools is needed. Obligatory resources Desktop computer or laptop Internet browser and connection Optional resources Printer if required Cost Suggested tools Our Story: Partly Free - Premium features are paid services. Glogster: Free Another useful tools Animoto: Partially Mixbook: Partially Creaza: Partially Implementation methodology The power of digital storytelling tools dwells in the combination or interactivity, productive skills combined with actions such as vocalization, physical movement and/or gesture. It presents a story and encourages the active imagination of the listeners. These components are naturally adjusted to the age level and language experience of the creator or the audience. Wherever there is a story told, there are listeners exploring new worlds, scenarios and developing critical thinking skills to connect them to their world and their own experiences. In the classroom, the possibilities are countless and they can vary significantly to produce interactive and attractive lesson plans. Some of the uses might be: Work in form of a digistory on a particular life experience or event. Express opinions on assigned topics or readings. Illustrate a social problem. Talk about family, education, travel, work, life expectations, holidays. The results can be printed, emailed, embedded into a website or blog, and/or placed in the classroom. There is also possibility to select the most interesting or successful piece created within the classroom and place it on school websites or in a school magazine. Other issues Students might need to be shown how these tools work and how they can create their own stories and posters adding images and videos. Useful tips Students can browse for videos in the platform YouTube. www.youtube.com .

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The project Autonomous Personal Learning Networks for Language Teachers has been funded with support from the European Commission. This document reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.