Wakelet Digital Storytelling

Students will:

• Be exposed to Wakelet as a communication tool.
• Be able to post pictures, videos, links, stories, etc. on Wakelet.
• Be able to tell a story of their summer using photos, notes, maps, etc.

Vocabulary Words:

1. Digital Etiquette (Netiquette): Digital etiquette is a basic set of rules you should follow in order to make the internet better for others, and better for you. It's just as important to treat people with courtesy and respect online as it is in real life.

2. Flipgrid: Flipgrid is a website that allows teachers to create grids to facilitate video discussions.

To prepare for this lesson:

• Sign up for a free Wakelet Account. 

• View this VIDEO on how to use Wakelet.

• Have an example of your summer digital story on Wakelet to share with the class.

• If students are under 13, make them each their own page with their name on it and add them on as the collaborator. Then, when it is time to work, they will just click on their name to get started. 

• If you are unfamiliar with Flipgrid, visit the MiTechKids task card on Flipgrid. 

• You may want to share this video on Netiquette with your students as they begin their project. 

See Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students.net site in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

1. Talk about Storytelling and what it is. Explain that telling a story with multimedia is even more engaging and visually stimulating than writing a story on paper.

2. Have students briefly say something they did this summer. Record this on an anchor chart for students to see (swimming, pandemic, going to the grocery store with masks, going on vacation, etc.).

3. Introduce and show students an example of your summer Wakelet story.

4. Students will watch this video on Netiquette; A Student's Guide to Digital Etiquette. 

5. Show students how to use Wakelet (add pictures, videos, maps of where they went, etc.). Keep your Wakelet on the big screen so students can see it while they are working.

6. Students will record their stories using Flipgrid. If you have not used Flipgrid yet, you can use this MiTechKids task card to learn more. They can then upload their Flipgrid story to Wakelet.

7. If students are under 13, you must let them use your account. Mark them as collaborators and they can click on their name to get started.

8. Give students a due date. Tell them that they will be presenting these in class. You can give them requirements that you want to make sure they have in their story (maps of places they visited, photos, videos, notes, etc.).  

9. When students are done presenting, you can print out QR codes to hang around the classroom with the student's name on it. Then, students can access it anytime. This would be something great to do at an open house, so parents can use their phones to access their child's story. 

Different options for assessing the students:

• Observations
• Check for understanding
• You can make a checklist for each section students are responsible for.
• You can also give each student a rubric to grade others on while they are presenting (creativity, Flipgrid video, presentation, etc.).