Week 1

   My name is Kelli Bier, and I teach at Skyview Middle School in District 49, Colorado Springs. I currently work as a Broadcasting Teacher and Educational Technology Specialist, where I help students learn all about planning and producing a weekly broadcast for the school. My students write scripts, film, and edit their own school news segments, and I also help support teachers with technology integration and digital learning. This year, I’m excited to be mentoring new teachers as well. I love being in a role where I can combine my passion for creativity, technology, and teaching.

I earned my Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder and two Master’s degrees from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, one in Curriculum and Instruction and another in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I recently completed a graduate certificate in Instructional Coaching from Grand Canyon University and I am now working on Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. I’ve been teaching for over fifteen years, and I still get excited about learning new things and growing as an educator.

Before my current role, I taught middle school social studies for twelve years. I loved helping students connect history to current events and see how social issues shape the world around them. When our school became a one-to-one technology campus, I started integrating digital tools into my lessons, which sparked my passion for educational technology. That experience eventually led me to broadcasting and instructional coaching.

Outside of work, I’m a mom of two very active kids, ages six and eight, who both love soccer. Between practices and games, we spend a lot of time on the field. We also have three dogs: a Norwegian Elkhound who’s nine and two one-year-old Australian Shepherds who keep things lively at home. I’ve lived in Colorado since I was four years old, and I feel lucky to call it home. In my free time, I love to travel and have been to seventeen countries. I also enjoy live music and often take weekend trips to meet my best friend in California for concerts or music festivals.

For this course, I would like to create a digital storytelling project called “The Voices of Multilingual Learners.” The goal is to give students from other countries a chance to share their personal experiences about attending school in the United States. I want them to have a platform to tell their stories in their own words and highlight both the challenges and the successes they have experienced. This project will celebrate their voices while helping teachers develop empathy and appreciation for their experiences.

The readings for this week really reinforced why digital storytelling (DST) is such a powerful teaching and learning tool. Davis and Foley (2016) explain that digital storytelling connects personal experiences to academic learning and gives students a meaningful way to express their identities. That really resonates with me because I have seen how students open up when they have the chance to share their stories in creative ways. Lambert (2010) also emphasizes that storytelling helps learners reflect on who they are and find their voice. I think this kind of self-expression is especially important for multilingual students who are still finding confidence in a new language and culture.

Research shows that DST can also boost academic achievement. Kubravi, Shah, and Jan (2018) found that it improves motivation, critical thinking, and learning outcomes because it encourages students to take ownership of their learning. Shelby-Caffey, Ubeda, and Jenkins (2018) describe digital storytelling as an innovative literacy practice that blends technology, creativity, and reflection, all things that I value as both a teacher and coach.

I was especially inspired by Stanley and Freeman (2017), who describe DST as a student-centered approach that empowers learners to take control of their stories and shape their educational futures. That idea fits perfectly with what I hope to accomplish in my classroom and school. By helping multilingual students tell their stories through digital media, I can promote understanding and belonging while giving teachers a model for using technology in ways that truly connect to students’ lives.

Ultimately, this project will not only help students strengthen their communication and technology skills, but it will also give them a sense of pride in their cultural and linguistic identities. Like Lambert (2010) says, storytelling is not just about sharing information, it is about transforming understanding for both the storyteller and the audience. I hope this project will do exactly that.

References

Davis, A., & Foley, L. (2016). Digital storytelling. In Handbook of research on the societal impact of digital media (pp. 114–139). IGI Global.

Kubravi, S. U., Shah, S. O., & Jan, K. (2018). Digital storytelling: The impact on student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation. International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science, and Management, 1(12), 787–791.

Lambert, J. (2010). Digital storytelling cookbook. Center for Digital Storytelling.

Shelby-Caffey, C., Ubeda, E., & Jenkins, B. (2018). Digital storytelling revisited: An educator’s use of an innovative literacy practice. The Reading Teacher, 68(3), 191–199.

Stanley, B., & Freeman, L. A. (2017). Digital storytelling as student-centered pedagogy: Empowering high school students to frame their futures. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 12(21).