Thirty Second Stories in the ESL Classroom

In my previous blog I talked about the benefits of using digital storytelling in the ESL classroom and I talked about one site in particular that I have used called zooburst.com.  In this blog I would like to talk about a new digital storytelling site that I have explored called animoto.  This storytelling tool is a great tool to use in the ESL classroom for many reasons as it allows the creator to insert photos, videos, text and music.  It is also very easy to use and to navigate around the site and it gives very clear instructions on how to create stories. This site also allows for free 30 second stories which makes this tool great to use as assignments for students to make their own stories or as mini lessons on particular topics or to supplement in-class lessons.  When I was thinking of a topic to use for my free story that could benefit my ESL students, I remembered an issue we discussed in my LAI culture class about how it is very common for ESL students in immersion classrooms to not be familiar with specific culture references that may be incorporated into daily lessons.  The one instance in particular that I am referring to is from a transcript we were analyzing about how the topic of popular television shows became a part of a current events discussion in an immersion biology class.  The ESL students in the course were unable to participate in the discussion because they were not familiar with the shows being referenced such as The Simpsons, therefor they felt outcasted and inferior.  Our challenge was to try and come up with ways to inform

these students about these culture references.  I felt that animoto is a great way to introduce English culture topics to students so I created a short video exemplifying how this tool can be used for such a purpose:  An Introduction to American Pop Culture.  Not only was I able to insert pictures of popular American singers and actors but I was able to include popular songs that students would be listening to and talking about.  This would even be a great tool to just use to create these mini stories in order to help ESL students become familiar with topics such as American pop culture so they do not feel left out in class and become discouraged from participating. I really like this tool and I feel I will get a lot of use out of it within my classroom.