Digital Storytelling Rubric

My assignment for class this week was to create an analytic rubric for the First Thanksgiving digital storytelling project I have been creating over the past few weeks. If you need a reminder of just what that project entails, click here to visit the project wiki. While I have seen countless rubrics and heard a great deal about the benefits of utilizing these tools, I must be honest in saying that I have never actually used a rubric to assess student work. This is more than likely a result of the lack of student projects I have incorporated into my class so far this year. It seems like all we do is teach the curriculum “with fidelity” and give the appropriate assessments. These assessments provide responses from which students much simply choose the correct answer, a form of traditional assessment. Rubrics, on the other hand, serve as a form of authentic assessment in which students demonstrate their knowledge through the creation of a project. In authentic assessment, students must take what they have learned and actually apply it, not just regurgitate it.

One thing I really love about rubrics (and a major selling point for me) is the idea of providing students with the rubrics prior to the creation of the project. This is a great way for students to have a tangible outline of my expectations to refer back to throughout the creation process. Hopefully this would not only serve as a constant reminder of what they should be focusing on and keep them on track with their projects, but will eliminate any surprise from the final grade. Finally, while creating my rubric I could not help but reflect on prior grading experiences and all the times I have heard fellow teachers discuss the possible retention of below-level students while comparing their work to that of other students as a means of justification. These students may be meeting grade level requirements, but because their work is not at the same level as others’, they are being recommended for retention. I disagree with this method of student evaluation, and this could be prevented by utilizing a rubric on student work and using that rubric as the means of evaluation.

To create my rubric, I used RubiStar. I have seen the website before, but this was my first time actually creating a rubric with it. RubiStar is easy to use and has numerous pre-created rubrics for viewing and editing. The first thing I did on the site was research the different types of rubrics and the different criteria within each one. I decided to use a storytelling rubric as the basis of mine and then combine different aspects from the digital project rubric (such as appearance and time management). One thing I really liked about this site, also, is that you are able to choose which criteria to include within a rubric and are then able to edit the information within each box of the chosen criteria. You can keep the rubric as standard as it comes or as specific and customized as you like. I enjoyed this activity and definitely foresee many RubiStar rubrics in my future!

Click here to view my rubric on the RubiStar website.

First Thanksgiving Sample Project

This week for my assignment, I had to create a sample project to post on my curriculum page for students to view. My curriculum page, which was created last week on the topic of the First Thanksgiving, will soon be complete not only with the task and pre-evaluated resources, but a sample project and rubric for assessment of student knowledge. Through creating this sample project, I have not only been able to put my expectations in a tangible format, but I have also been able to determine any possible difficulties students might have when creating their First Thanksgiving project. You can view my sample project below.



Now, when I originally planned this project for my 2nd grade students, I imagined that they would create a Thanksgiving story from the point of view of Native Americans or Pilgrims, but as I created the sample project I noticed myself going in a slightly different direction. I found it worked better to research my chosen side (Pilgrims in this case) and present the facts in the different topic areas in more of an outline format. I also think this would be easier for my 2nd graders as this would be the first time they have used Prezi to create a digital story. I was thinking that once students have created their story in this format, they can then take it a step further and turn it into more of a narrative if they would like. This will help my struggling students by providing a bit more structure while still giving the option of a challenge to my more advanced students.

My only concern is that my 2nd graders will view the sample project and use my information as their own, as they sometimes struggle with putting things in their own words. Maybe if I use less detail in the example it would allow for more creative range when they are making their own projects. However, if I use fewer details they will inevitably model their own projects after the example and use minimal details, as well. If anyone has any suggestions on ways to moderate student work while still providing a quality example, please share!!

First Thanksgiving Curriculum Page

Click here to view my curriculum page!

I have heard quite a bit about curriculum pages in my other classes, but I have never created one of my own so I was excited when I learned we would be creating a curriculum page for class this week. The tool used for the curriculum page was a wiki, and the wiki will be developed over the next few weeks. Luckily, last semester I took a course in which I completed an extensive group research paper using a wiki. That was my first experience with a wiki, and I learned a lot about how to navigate it. I decided to use Wikispaces for my curriculum page, as that was the wiki site I used in my last experience.

Last week, I brainstormed an idea for a digital storytelling project and planned each area of the project for my second grade students. I decided to run with that idea, as I had already “storyboarded” it out. “Why reinvent the wheel?” as is the common theme in education. Therefore, my curriculum page was designed around the idea of my second graders creating their own digital stories about the First Thanksgiving. Students have to choose a side to take: Native Americans or Pilgrims. Stories must be told from the chosen point of view. Not only do I think these stories would be fun for students to create, but they would be fun to grade as well! While we do not have to have the rubric created for our curriculum page quite yet, I am thinking of creating a teacher and student rubric so the students have a part in evaluating, also. Students could evaluate each others’ projects with a peer-evaluation rubric. That would be a great way to get students looking for important qualities of digital projects and keep them involved in every presentation.

Before I began creating the actual curriculum page, I took some time to research some quality kid-friendly web resources on the First Thanksgiving. I wanted to make sure the provided sites included images and videos, as well as text, so this was not as easy a task as this might sound. Once I found a few sites I liked, I wrote a brief description for each site in Microsoft Word and saved it. (I am a saving-addict ever since the time my computer randomly restarted and I lost a project I had been working on for three hours.) Once I had my sites, I began building the rest of the curriculum page in Microsoft Word, too. I am extremely familiar with Microsoft Word and its formatting, so I did most of the planning and creating there. When I had all the material for the project planned out, it was time to put it in the wiki.

While I have experience using a wiki, boy did I struggle with the formatting aspect of Wikispaces. I copied the entire Word document and pasted it into Wikispaces. However, when I wanted to center and bold the headings, it would not simply do what I was commanding it to do. Instead of just bolding the two-word heading, it would bold the heading and the following two lines of regular text. Then, when I tried to correct it the actual heading would not center or stay bold, but the regular body text would not become unbold! This was extremely frustrating, and I think I spent an hour just trying to center and bold specific text. This was the most frustrating part of process for me. However, I soon found a solution! If I formatted everything, and I mean everything from line spacing to text bolding, in Microsoft Word, I could paste it into the Wiki and it would keep its formatting. This was very helpful to learn because in the beginning, I was pasting the information from Word with basic formatting, but I was then attempting to format more in the actual Wikispaces domain. I did not enjoy formatting in Wikispaces at all, and I would not recommend it.

I would recommend using a wiki for curriculum pages, though, as it is able to be modified and added to easily. I am looking forward to adding the final pieces to the project, such as a rubric and sample project. As I continue to create my curriculum page and add to my wiki, it is important that I keep in mind my audience, second graders, and I don’t make the project too complicated. I could definitely see how it would be easy to overwhelm students with too much going on within a curriculum web page. While I do not have a bunch of flashy stuff on my curriculum page for my second graders, I must admit that I was quite proud of myself when I got the picture on the page as it really seems to bring the page to life J.

Digital Storytelling_Thanksgiving Theme_RR5

This week in class, we have been charged with the task of designing a digital storytelling project for the students in our class. With Thanksgiving approaching in less than a month, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to have a little fun while exploring the history of Native Americans in North America and the impact of European immigrants (Pilgrims) on their way of life. An activity addressing this topic would meet multiple 2nd grade Florida Social Studies standards. In addition to meeting several Social Studies standards, a digital storytelling project on this topic would also attend to numerous Reading and Language Arts standards continuously covered throughout the year. As discussed in the textbook, the existing curriculum must lead any and all technology integration, and not the other way around (Gunter 2010). This is vital for teachers to ensure all core subject standards are being met throughout the academic year while continuing to build 21st century skills through digital applications.

The objective of this digital storytelling project would be for my students to correctly tell about the immigration of the European settlers through either the eyes of the Native Americans or the Pilgrims. The first thing they must do is storyboard their idea. This will provide students the opportunity to plan their story so that it is told in the most effective means possible, and this will also help students to identify any additional tools they will need to complete their project successfully. Just as with any writing or conventional storytelling activity, students must plan in order to have a well-written piece. These expectations must be carried over when utilizing digital media as a means of production, as well (Gunter 2010). Once students have chosen the eyes through which they will be telling their story, they will then access the curriculum resource page that will be set up for them. On this page, students will find links to information, videos, images, and audio in reference to the targeted time and people. While it would make it easier to make every resource a quality one, I would throw in a couple irrelevant or poorly constructed resources so students can practice sorting through and evaluating quality web resources. If I have students with advanced technological skills, they may also choose to create their own resources for use in their digital storytelling project. These students would need access to digital cameras for images, flip video cameras for video, and microphones to record audio. Once students capture their own digital media, they then have the ability to create their own resource pages for other students to access, as well.

In addition to content resources, links to “how-to’s” for digital storytelling will also be provided to students in the case that they need extra assistance or just want to take their digital storytelling to the next level. It is important to not only provide students with beginning technology skills the resources to complete the activity adequately, but also that I provide technologically competent students with the opportunity to excel and enrich their digital experience. By students creating their own resources and content resource pages, they will have the ability to share their digital knowledge with others while working to complete the assigned activity. These student created resources will be in addition to the provided websites and resources for students to research all aspects of the targeted time period, such as food, clothing, social conventions, gender roles, key people, geographic regions, Native American-Pilgrim interactions, and much more. In the case students wish to explore an alternative aspect of Native American or Pilgrim life in that time, a student-friendly search engine, such as Ask for Kids, will be provided as well.

In order to not simply leave students’ learning experience in the time of the Mayflower, I would finally have students compare what they’ve learned through their digital stories to their lives today. This would take their learning to the next level by creating an authentic learning experience and providing a connection to what students know best – their own world (Gunter 2010). This will give students that extra ownership of their final products, and when presenting their digital stories they can draw on their own experiences and relate to what they have learned more easily. I definitely see the information sticking with them much longer if the material is learned and the knowledge is expressed in this fashion. In the provided pacing guides for each subject area, additional technology resources are provided to teachers, such as supplemental videos or interactive activities revolving around the subject matter. If you ask me, it is only a matter of time until learning experiences such as digital storytellings are a required part of the curriculum, as well. I anticipate this day.

The following is a link to a plethora of Thanksgiving resources for teaching, and suggestions for classroom use: http://www.teachersfirst.com/holiday/thanksgiving.cfm . Many of these resources would be great for students in creating their digital storytelling, also!


Shelly, G. & Gunter, G & Gunter, R. (2010). Teacher Discovering Computers Integrating technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6th Ed.) Cengage Learning

Activity Reflection 4

Let me start off by saying that I absolutely loved this week’s assignment of creating a digital presentation on the benefits of digital storytelling in the classroom. We were given the option of creating a relatively basic presentation using PowerPoint in SlideShare or challenging ourselves and creating a “prezi” using the Prezi program (they get offended if their products are referred to as presentations). I chose to attempt using Prezi, as I had heard of the program before but had never actually explored it in detail myself. While I ended up spending four hours creating the short presentation rather than two, it was well worth it as I am completely fascinated by Prezi’s capabilities and final product.

I began my digital storytelling prezi by exploring the links provided in the course module and researching some ways digital storytelling can be integrated in different areas of the curriculum. Once I had a more detailed understanding, I went ahead and signed up for the educator license of Prezi. I was given the opportunity to watch a short tutorial or complete three lessons before beginning use of the program, and I opted for the video. I recommend this to any Prezi beginners out there, as this short three minute video did a great job prepping me on the tools I would need for a successful Prezi experience.

Once I was in Prezi and ready to begin designing my prezi, I started by simply click on the screen and typing my desired information. Once the meat of the prezi was prepared, then came the fun (and more time consuming) part. I was able to change the design, layout, font, and text direction of each text object in my Prezi. My experience with Microsoft Word and ActivInspire software helped make these initial steps run smoothly, as they share some similar editing and layout functions. In Prezi, you are able to group objects in frames and create a path in which the viewer will see the information as they progress through the prezi. This aspect of the program was completely new to me, and it took me a while to get a decent grasp on how to most effectively utilize these features. This could also be attributed to the fact that every time I thought I was finished, I discovered something else I wanted to learn to do with my Prezi, such as zoom in and straighten out the sideways text while the prezi path is carried out. (This is done by not creating a frame around the text, which I had done, and selecting the text directly as a point on the path, which I then corrected… In case you were curious).

I must say that as the activity progressed, I began to feel like a more perspicacious Prezi user. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy using Prezi to create this activity, I learned a lot and plan to use Prezi for all types of tasks in the future. I know if I enjoyed using Prezi this much, my students would really benefit from utilizing it for classroom projects. I would still like to research more uses of digital storytelling in the classroom before I have my students begin using Prezi to create their digital stories. Prezi is a great tool that could be used in all areas of education, business, medicine, etc. to engage viewers and effectively train/teach them beyond the everyday PowerPoint. I am looking forward to using Prezi to spruce up any assignment that calls for a basic presentation or PowerPoint to present knowledge of a known or novel topic. What a fun instructional tool allowing for freedom to be creative while still effectively getting across a message. I will definitely be spreading the word about Prezi!!

The blog prior to this has my Prezi into it. Check it out!

Digital Storytelling in the Classroom - Prezi

Online Identity Activity

The last time I “Googled” myself was about a year ago, and the top responses highlighted flipcharts I’ve created and published to PrometheanPlanet.com. I was proud of these creations and satisfied with my “online identity.” Therefore, I figured I would find equally satisfying results when I Googled my name for this week’s assignment. This was not the case. Now, my top three results are as follows: Facebook (not exactly the most useful first result), Pipl (on which every address I’ve lived at since I was five is listed…creepy), and TeacherTube (finally a site showcasing digital resources I’ve created). My flipcharts are not even on the first or even second page of the results anymore. If only we could choose how our own results are sorted for searchers.

As I delve deeper into the Educational Technology master’s program and progress in my educational career, I know it is increasingly imperative to have a positive online identity. This includes not only the amount of results returned, but the quality and relevance of each result. Not that I have a personal vendetta against Pipl.com, but I’m not quite sure a parent or employer is interested in where I lived in 1989 or my mother’s address. While these results may be numerous, they are by no means relevant to how I want to be perceived by others. The internet offers a new means of informal job interviews and first impressions, and often we do not even know these interviews are taking place. We must always be putting our best foot forward, face-to-face and online.

One way to establish a strong positive online identity is by creating an online profile, which I recently did for this week’s assignment using Google Profiles. There are numerous well-done Educator Profiles and How-To’s available to make the process of creating an online profile easy and effective. In the past, I had never taken the time to fill out the profile information on any digital resources I’ve subscribed to or created, such as blogs, wikis, or educator forums. The profile section always just seemed like an extra thing to do – a waste of time, and who was going to look at those things anyways, right? Now that I know that every program I enter my name into, subscribe to, or express interest in online shows up when my name is entered in a search engine, I recognize a need for a professional profile accompanying each associated program and electronic resource.

As I completed the profile activities, I began to view the About Me sections of the blog site or Google Profiles as a sort of informal resume. Only this resume is readily available to anyone who completes a virtual search of your name. From now on, I will be taking those extra fifteen minutes to enter a brief description of myself and what I have to offer the world. This may be my chance to connect with a possible employer or create a bond with a classroom parent or peer. I’ve learned that in such a networked world, I am always selling myself. Let’s make sure that what people are looking to buy is the same thing we are intending to sell.