Every student comes to us with a different story, a different life, and different experiences. No two are alike. It’s our job to learn their stories, which can be a challenging task on its own, but also allow that to influence our teaching. The best teachers are the ones who build strong relationships with their students, so without knowing students’ stories, it is impossible.
As we develop an understanding of each of our students, and help them to become the best learners they can be, we need to give them opportunities to share what they have learned: To become advocates and authors of their own stories. In this technology day in age, the abilities for students to share their stories are endless. As teachers we need to provide meaningful ways for this to occur. What would it look like? How can it be meaningful and personalized?
This morning I participated in the twitter chat, #satchatwc and was provided with an ample amount of opinions, ideas, and resources from an incredible PLN. I thought I would share these with everyone else, to encourage teachers to develop a voice for each of their students.
Question #1: What is it about stories that inspire us?
Question #2: Why is it so important to tell the story of our students?
https://twitter.com/BJMartinEIS/status/454994271675101184
Question #3: How do you include student voice in telling the story of your school?
Question #4: How do we grow our circles so others are telling the great stories of students through social media?
Question #5: What are the best digital tools for telling the great story of students?
https://twitter.com/p_kopp/status/455001409209913345
As you can see there is a comprehensive list of the best digital story telling tools. Whatever you choose to use is your choice, but just remember to find a way to share your students’ stories. The impact is more powerful than you know!
Here are a few more resources you can check out:
Bam Radio
CBE: 64 Days of Learning
List of Digital Story Telling Tools
Out With Erin 