What do children like to talk about the most? Themselves! (Most adults I know as well, lol). Even more so they like pictures of themselves. My students very often bring to school pictures of themselves, their families, family activities, vacation pics and so on, and then proceed to explain every detail of the picture to me. Imagine if we could incorporate pictures of these kids and their activities into lessons? Think of the level of interest that would be generated. Well, wait no more, digital story books are here – to stay. When we were introduced to this concept in ICT in Reading I was blown away. It was so easy for the EDRL 6004 group to create an instructional digital story that my mind began to wander. How could I use this in my class?
For the past couple of years I have taken a camera almost everywhere I go. I am of the view that unexpected shots are the best. I have taken shots of snakes in the yard, birds inside the house, flood waters all around my car, a TV personality I met at the airport and all sorts of unexpected but lovely shots. Once I caught one of my post SEA students fast asleep on top of a desk. Another child was so eager to read a book for SSR that he sat inside the cupboard on the bottom shelf and started reading. He was so engrossed in reading; he never saw the flash of the camera.
All of this has made me realise I can use my hobby and the children’s love of pictures to allow the students to create digital photo-stories. Since they will be starring in them, the interest will be automatic, and they will have to ensure that the narration, captions and instructions are done well, thus enhancing speaking and writing skills. I am definitely going to pursue this one, even if I have to take my laptop to school to get it done.
1 comment:
I too am fascinated by digital story telling. I think that it's a wonderful tool and it can be used in most if not all curriculum areas. History and Social Studies teachers can create wonderful stories for use in the class with the wealth of pics. that is on the internet. I typed in google images of the Tainos tribe and every possible tribal picture and painting turned up.
Through the use of digital stories, we can bring life and interest into the classroom. I am sure the students will remember historical facts and data much more when the lesson is delivered using a multimedia approach.
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