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"On a given day, how much time do your students spend working on their fluency? At the elementary level, hours are devoted to reading and speaking fluency. In middle and high school, students read aloud, deliver oral presentations, and write in a variety of formats to improve upon their language fluency. And yet, while we devote a significant portion of every school day to a student's reading, writing and language fluency, how much time is devoted to the development of their technology fluency? "

"A New Hero's Journey in the Classroom Kids need to know the basics of story creation -- character, conflicts, resolutions etc. -- before they can write their own. Have them read, watch, and play video games with a critical eye towards identifying these basic story elements. Then you can use life timelines as way of uncovering their personal narratives. Have them identify heroes of their own from real life or fiction as inspiration. You can go as deep as you have time for here! There are myriad tools available for actual story creation (see Resources below). "

Authenticity -- we know it works! There is research to support the value of authentic reading and writing. When students are engaged in real-world problems, scenarios and challenges, they find relevance in the work and become engaged in learning important skills and content. In addition, while students may or may not do stuff for Mr. Miller, they are more likely to engage when there is a real-world audience looking at their work, giving them feedback, and helping them improve. This is just one critical part of project-based learning. However, maybe you aren't ready for fully authentic projects. Where are some good places to start taking the authenticity up a notch in your classroom?

Regular readers here will understand with the enthusiasm with which I greet the publication of Tony Wagner's new book, Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. I've been a fan of Wagner's writing since the Global Achievement Gap was published in 2008, a book which has influenced this blog's educational vision perhaps more than any other single title. "Creating Innovators" has been a theme both of my educational leadership and my blogging since 2009, when the Board of St. Gregory adopted it as a core component of our mission and our slogan/tag line.

Andrew Millar on Edutopia - a blog entry on Driving Questions

"Welcome to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 online. Here you will find the most current version of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for Speaking, Writing, Listening, and Reading made interactive through the inclusion of glossed terms and multimedia exemplars. You can explore the Guidelines by skill or by level, listen to and read samples in English that represent abilities at each of the major proficiency levels."

"The NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements are self-assessment checklists used by language learners to assess what they "can do" with language in the Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational modes of communication. These modes of communication are defined in the National Standards for 21st Century Language Learning and organized in the checklist into the following categories: Interpersonal (Person-to-Person) Communication Presentational Speaking (Spoken Production) Presentational Writing (Written Production) Interpretive Listening Interpretive Reading Click within each cell to display the benchmark and the associated Can Do Statement PDF. Or, click on a Level/Mode row or column to expand the entire level or mode."

Whether you are teaching french or learning french, this is for you. This is a serie of dialogues by theme of grammar. They are for the most part humoristic. Some of them are written by a french writer, Jean-Marie Bontems, known for his fluid and funny writing.

When students create a movie or interactive slide show to tell their story, learning becomes personal. Students can improve their writing, show creativity, and have a voice.

Digital Storytelling can transform your students' writing into a visual masterpiece that is filled with voice and emotion, while enhancing critical thinking skills.  The iPad takes digital storytelling to a new level by making the process easier, and even more engaging for students of all grade levels as well as for their teachers.   This site will help guide you in what you need for success in the iPad Digital Storytelling classroom.

If you think you have to have everything planned before the first day of school, you really have a daunting project ahead of you.  Here are the steps I actually take when I write and rewrite curriculum maps and guides (which I have done every summer for at least one subject - always tinkering!).

A digital story combines text and images with narration in the student's own voice to form a short digital movie. Digital Storyteller is a web-based tool that offers teachers and students frictionless access to digital images and materials that enable them to construct compelling personal narratives. Digital Storyteller was developed as an initiative of Primary Access.

Mission We surface authentic voices around the world through group process and participatory media creation. Our programs support people in sharing and bearing witness to stories that lead to learning, action, and positive change. What We Do For nearly twenty years, the Center has been supporting people in sharing meaningful stories from their lives. Our unique workshops assist participants in producing short, first-person narratives that can be presented in a variety of traditional and social media formats. We provide non-threatening production environments in which the process of creation is valued as much as the stories created. Through partnerships with a range of organizations, institutions, and funders, we offer story making and story distribution services that prioritize the power of individual voices. Whether you're interested in storytelling for professional development, as a reflective practice, as a pedagogical strategy, or as a vehicle for education, community mobilization, or advocacy, we are recognized globally as experts in all things digital storytelling.

Sawubona . . . Visit the storymaking steps, transmedia digital tools, and the featured StoryKeeper's Gallery designed to inspire and jump start beginners. Consider hosting customize Workshops, Artist-in-Residence Programs or DigiTales Storytelling Camps. These one-of-a-kind artistic learning adventures are meant to lift the spirits, spark creativity and imaginations while deepening content and technical skills as digital authors experience the process of merging the ancient art of oral storytelling with a palette of transmedia tools. Bernajean's learning environments are joyfully designed and paced to enable participants to master skills, processes and the craftsmanship now needed in creating ALL kinds of exemplar multi-media products beyond storytelling.

Stories bring us together, encourage us to understand and empathize, and help us to communicate. Long before paper and books were common and affordable, information passed from generation to generation through this oral tradition of storytelling. Consider Digital Storytelling as the 21st Century version of the age-old art of storytelling with a twist: digital tools now make it possible for anyone to create a story and share it with the world.