A Digital City of Stories

Funded Oct 19, 2013

Thank you so much for your generous support of our classroom project! We have been hard at work since January researching the cultures of Spain, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, and the Navy. The students and I are excited to share all that we have been up to and how your donations have helped this project come to life!

After identifying the prominent cultures in Oak Harbor, WA through a community survey and census data, the students spent time using the Internet browser, along with several encyclopedia apps, on the iPads to research the clothing, transportation, shelter, recreation, and climate of each of these cultures. This put information that was otherwise limited in our school library directly into the hands of the students and was critical in helping prepare for their interviews with local community members. Students have also used their critical thinking and reasoning skills to create appropriate questions for their interviews that will help them gather more information on how the various cultures have impacted their community! We are conducting interviews throughout the month of March and look forward to sharing some snapshots from them with you! Students have also spent time learning how to use the iPads as video recording tools collaboratively. This has enriched their knowledge of social skills, as well as digital literacy!

Ultimately, these video interviews will be integrated into a digital story or time capsule that will be able to be passed on to future generations of Oak Harbor students. We even were asked by the Island County Historical Society to provide them with copies of our final products to keep in their archives! Without your assistance this type of unique learning experience that integrates digital literacy skills and social studies curriculum would not have been possible!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Fick