SchoolArts - December 2010

Storytelling

TECH4ARTED

Twenty-First Century

Theresa McGee

Identified as one of the oldest forms of communication, story- telling creates connections and stretches our imaginations. The
need to share and interpret stories
in the classroom is still important,
we just have more ways of telling it
using technology. Varying your les-
son presentation between traditional
storytelling and online sources can
be engaging for students living in a
world filled with technology. Cap-
ture the attention of your students by
integrating some of these great online
resources:
stories, When Picasso Met Mootisse,
written by Nina Laden, is read aloud
by an actor and is a change of pace
from a traditional read-aloud story
during class.

based on artwork in the Tate collection. The prompting questions make it a great way for students to get started interpreting visual images and writing about them immediately.

Using a similar writing and submission format, Haring Kids (tinyurl. com/HaringStory) also has a useful elementary writing tool inspired by Keith Haring’s work.

Audio and Interaction

Most appropriate for elementary students, Arturo’s Art Stories (arturosart- stories.org) from the Dallas Museum of Art uses animation, audio, and user interaction to explore the meaning behind artwork. These stories could easily be used as an introduction to a unit or as an independent student activity.

Another site useful for younger students is Story Line Online (www. storylineonline.net) presented by members of the Screen Actors Guild. Listed among other children’s classic

Language Arts Integration Tate Tales ( tinyurl.com/TateTales) is a website useful for all grades that allows students to create or read about stories submitted by other students

Multimedia Mix

The Art of Storytelling ( www.artof- storytelling.org) sponsored by the Delaware Art Museum, is an engaging website appropriate for all levels. The first of three categories on the site lets you experience a story about a piece of fine art by listening or reading content created by website visitors. In the second category, choose an inspirational work of art and write or record an audio story about it. The third category contains a collage builder that uses images from the collection to create a new composition producing new meanings or stories.

Technology has never been more relevant and integrated into the lives of students as it is today. Online content can help you reach these techie kids and achieve some of your instructional goals. There’s more than one way to tell a story, and these online resources will help.