Storytelling for education

1.16 A book

1/10/2017

Photo: D Frith

The Story
I brought home a story book for my little brother.
Lots of children have this book now. He wanted it so I have made him happy. We were all given it at the sports club.

It's a strange story about poisonous mushrooms.
He likes looking at the funny drawings.
I think there is another one similar. I'll get him that one too if he enjoys it so much.

Education
The Nazi party's contempt for books had been raging since the public book burning in 1931 but they didn't hate all books.
The Poisonous Mushroom was a children's storybook published to indoctrinate small children with the hatred of Nazi propaganda. Berni must have known of this appalling book, if not for himself then for his younger brother.
A copy can be seen at The Internet Archive (here) It's not recommended for young children but it is an interesting discussion point as an historical artifact for secondary pupils.
The National Archive is a growing library resource of free to read books.

Is it necessary to store digital copies of books? Will the copies be available forever? What happens if the technology changes and they become unreadable? Who do the books belong to?
Resource: The Internet Archive (here)
Procedure #Increasing Literacy #TheDigitalSociety #Storybooks
Skills: #CriticalEvaluation #Reading for pleasure

1.15 It wasn't my fault!

5/7/2017

The Story
Back at school and who should I see but Rainer. I tried to avoid him all day but when someone attacks you from behind a door there isn't much you can do but fight back. Like all bullies he is a coward when you stand up to him.

He had it coming and now I know he wont bother me again. I made a new friend too. Herbert is a quiet boy who I have never noticed before. He has offered to tell the headmaster what he saw. Let's hope nobody finds out he has come forward. Nobody likes a snitch.
I hope my Mum doesn't find out. It wasn't my fault.

Education
School have to take positive steps to deal with bullying but in 1930s Germany, where deep divisions were being created purposefully, the weak would have been very vulnerable.

An emoji creator like bitmoji.com can be used to let students create personalised emoji's of themselves. Bitmoji plugs directly into gmail. Students create a Gmail account then use the emojis as an engaging writing to work on the causes of bullying, identify signs of bullying and develop sensitivity to this issue.

Tip: If you right click save the gmail message page you can save all the characters used in the message for other speaking or presentation activities.
Resource: bitmoji.com
Resource See also the google book on Perspectives on Bullying and Difference (Colleen McLaughlin,Richard Byers,Caroline Oliver)
Procedure: #Creativity #Difference #Play
Skills: #self esteem #responsibility #empathy

1.14 Peace - at any cost

2/7/2017

The Story
Some things never change at home. I went to the bar with my dad to see some of his old friends.

Pathetic! All the usual suspects from his work are still there, still complaining, or worse, still doing nothing.

As they keep telling us at the sports camp it's down to the young people to get the country out of this mess. I am already looking forward to going back to the next camp.

Education
Berni, like everyone else, is being subjected to propaganda which looks to drive increasing suspicion, division and hate between people. Bert would undoubtedly have seen messages like the one above as he is drawn deeper into his new 'family' - the Hitler Youth.

The original Nazi poster from 1938 (here) leaves you with 98 characters spare if it were a tweet. Concise and highly visual communication. Some things don't change. Ask your students to consider the contradiction in the message. Who is disturbing the peace here? What difference does the forest scene make to the message? Do they think this kind of visual communication is could be used nowadays by politicians? Why? Why not? Can they imagine what Berni thought?

This image was created with the Recite.com native app which allows students to play with words, images and context. Young people are experts in concise visual communication but are they aware when it is used against them?

#CriticalThinking #Propaganda #marketing

1.13 Defending our Honour!

25/6/2017

The Story
We work in teams every day now at the sports camp. I am with a great bunck of lads.
We do all kinds of activities like wrestling, javelin and athletics but it's football I love most.
I've been picked to play for the camp team at a regional tournament. We'll be playing teams from all the other camps just like ours.
It feels like we are defending the honour of the whole camp. We have to win!

Illustration: Duncan Frith

Education
Why is Bernhard feeling so happy at the camp? Does it sound like he is missing his family while he is away? And School? Where does teamwork end and competition start in the classroom? How do you deal with diversity within teamwork? Encouraging a growth mindset.
Teaching Centre Inclusive Fostering inclusion in the classroom

Plenty of tools exist online to help manage the classroom. See this one from flippity enables you to make teams from you class register. Simply introduce the class register and then use the functions to make teams, shuffle members, assign working groups, etc.
Resource; www.flippity.net/ Bernhard Trautmann
Procedure: #Discussion #competition #Foment Growth Mindsets
Skills: #teamwork #Understanding Diversity

1.12 My new friends are just like me

15/4/2017

Illustration: Duncan Frith using AutoDraw

The Story I have been chosen to join the local sports Bann club out of all the boys in our school. Only the fittest and most athletic boys get chosen to go to camp. It's a great honour and great fun. Nobody at school will bully me anymore. They teach us all kinds of new sports like javelin, discus, wrestling and boxing.

Education
Encouraging school children to speak up, express themselves and challenge popular opinions is as important now as it was in Berni's childhood.
As with all these blog posts the ideas are salable. From a young age we can be asking students to produce personal responses and develop creative thinking. This tool could let students develop their storytelling and communication skills, older students might want to explore the pros and cons of a tool which draws shapes for you. Where does that lead personal and artistic expression, for example?

Resource: How to help your primary class speak up here- TES Oracy : underdeveloped skill in UK
by @benkburgess "I don’t want passive learners, I want children who ask questions, and who challenge peers"

Resource: Illustration done using AutodDraw.com. An AI experiment native app for changing simple shapes and lines into artwork for student and teachers.

Procedure: #CriticalEvaluation #Creativity
Skills: #SpeakingUp #SelfExpression #Self Esteem #CriticalThinking

1.11 A special visitor in the classroom

28/3/2017

Illustration: Duncan Frith.

The Story
Today we had a special visitor in class. He asked us some of the Maths questions which will be in our new school test.
Then he told us about a football team he has started.
Now that sounds like my kind of thing - Maths is not my best subject really.

Nazi propaganda in the classroom

Education
Why did this 'special visitor' come to Bernhard's class? DidBernhard understand everything he said? What was the purpose of his visit?

The following links include many resources for working on pupil's critical thinking skills and specifically their ability to evaluate the overwhelming amount of information they will be exposed to online and through social media.

Resource: Schrockguide to Critical Evaluation in education
Procedure: #Critical Evaluation
Skill: #Critical Thinking

Question source: Hirsch, Herbert. GenocideE and the Politics of Memory (Chapel Hill & London: University of North Carolina Press, 1995),119.

1.10 The face of a bully

28/2/2016

The Story
Rainer! What an idiot this guy is. He waits for me everyday outside school with his friends.
I am new at the school so I don't know people very well and I have to leave early to take my Dad his lunch at the docks. I am not avoiding Rainer whatever people at school say.

Education
What is the difference between bullying in school and cyberbullying? How do we detect the early signs of bullying? How do we put in place systems to prevent bullying from occurring? How important is the need for an involved parent/school relationship and space?

Recognising early signs and prevention resource USA.gov
Defining cycberbullying resource: here
Emotional Intelligence development www.edutopia. 10-tips-creating-caring-school

Procedure: #Group Meetings #Character Athletics
Skills: #EmotionalIntelligence #Empathy

1.9 Toys and Games

27/2/2016

The Story My brother Karl Heinz is 5. He still plays with his teddy bear. I just want to play football. Every day we play after school. We do play other sports at school like volkerball. It's good fun and I am quite good at it too.

Scratch

Education
Look at this A to Z of traditional Children's games. How many do we still play? Which new games do children play now? Which modern games would Berni and Karl Heinz enjoy playing now?

What would Berni think about modern technology? How would you explain that chidlren his age can code a computer game? See Scratch for a simple introduction to coding

Resource: Wikipedia Traditional Children's Games
Resource: Scratch
Procedure: #Coding #Problem Solving #Creativity
Skill: #ComputationalThinking #CriticalThinking

1.8 Another Sunday afternoon in Bremerhaven.

21/2/2016

The Story Grown ups are getting really angry. Nearly every day there is a meeting at the docks. Sometimes I go to watch them on Sunday's but my family don't know. First there is a meeting, then another group turn up who hate them and start a fight, Then the police arrive and beat everybody up. That is a lot of violence for a Sunday.

Education
Students can use LEGO, a phone's camera and an online comic to make engaging scenes about children's rights. Get them to research the rights, brainstorm the story's plot, and create the storyboard.

Resource: elearninging Industry.com 5 Best Free Cartoon Making Tools For Teachers
Resource: Human Rights for Children. Articles 4, 6, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19 and 38
Procedure: #Storytelling #Brainstorming #Storyboarding
Skills: #Creativity #DIgitalLiteracy #Literacy #Communication

1.7 Mass meetings

7/2/2016

The Story Some of the dockers hold mass meetings at the docks. They say they can't carry on working in these conditions.

My Dad goes sometimes but I don't think he wants any trouble. And sometimes these meetings end up in trouble.

Education
This poster Attention Workingmen was produced in the USA in 1886. Interestingly as it was published in English and in German due to the high number of German immigrants working in Chicago at that time,
It predates the same issues which Berni's father would be facing by 50 years and provides a contrast to the perceptions that radicalisation and repression can only flourish in extreme conditions like the one Berni was living through in Germany.
Why not get students to research and publish a magazine cover or posters which looks at the Pros and Cons of mobile phones in the school? Scribus is a free desktop publishing tool with easy to use interface.

Online Publishing Tool: Scribus.net
Digital Visual Collection for the classroom: Newberry.org
Procedure: #Debating #Negotiation #Giving Presentations
Skills: #ActiveListening #Giving Opinion #Agreeing Disagreeing

1.6 Atlantic Liners

6/2/2016

The Story These Atlantic liners were in Bremen port today. I'll race straight down there on my bike after school tomorrow to take my Dad his lunch.

He is lucky to have a job at all. Everyone works double shifts now at the docks. My Mum says things are so expensive in the shop you need two jobs just to buy some bread.

I don't think the people on this liner think it is expensive at all, One of the dockers told me 1 American dollar is worth the same as 1,800 German Marks!

Illustration - Duncan Frith

Education
Students can use Pinterest to research and curate images for their art & design projects as demonstrated in this link which collects examples of Art Deco style form this time.
Resource: Bernard on Pin
Resource: Blog Pinterest Say Hello Teachers
Procedure: ##Research #Content Curation
Skills: #Critical Evaluation #Creativity

1.5 Going to New York

31/1/2016

The Story
The ships in dock come from all over the world. It says where the ship is from on the stern.

Alexandria, New York, Bermuda.

This tells you where the ship is registered. The men at the docks taught me that.

Every few weeks the SS Bremen calls to pick up passengers. It's only for very wealthy people and foreigners.

The people in Bremen are very proud of the liner. It has won the blue ribbon for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic.

Education
Video clip using the EDpuzzle tool documenting the early transatlantic liner crossings.The SS Bremen was one of the most famous ships of this time due to its unique design and luxurious fittings. Built in Bremerhaven, for a time it was the fastest liner to cross the Atlantic.

Big Questions: How long did the journey take? What did passengers do during the journey? How did they send messages during the journey? Did Berni see this ship in the docks while he was visiting his father? What did Berni think about this ship and the people who travelled on it?

EDpuzzle. Register with a Google account to use the EDpuzzle tool. Clip online videos to concentrate on specific scenes. Set students tasks for project or home work. Receive their submissions and follow their interaction with the video with this dashboard tool

Dashboard video tool: Edpuzzle.com
Procedure: #Teamwork #Research #Debate #DigiComp
Skills: Hypothesising #Imagination #AgreeingDisagreeing

1.4 To the docks

31/1/2016

The Story
I can run to the docks in about 5 minutes. My Dad works there. I have to take him his lunch in between shifts.

He loads and unloads the ships. I love going to the docks. There are ships being loaded and unloaded from early morning until late at night.

Education
Use YouTube we can find rare insight into docker's lives around this time. This video shows London docks at the same time as Berni was visiting his Dad at Bremen docks.

Would Berni recognise the London dock as being the same as Bremen dock?
What would be similar and what would be different?

There is no shortage of video content suitable for education on the net. Youtube, Khan Academy, or SchoolTube. Choose a topic and you are sure find some video as a trigger for class.

Native app for clipping online videos >> vibby.com
Videos for Continuous Professional Development >> www.edutopia.org/videos

Procedure >> #Analysing #Comparing #Extracting relevant information
Skills >> #CriticalThinking #Hypothesising #Empathy

1.3 Running Everywhere

31/1/2016

The Story
School was OK. I like the teacher, Herr Koenig. I think he likes me. Well he can see I like to study.
I have made friends with some of the boys in class. We all love to play sports. I think I will be happy here.
After school I ran down to the docks with my dad's lunch. He has two jobs now so I have to take him some food.
The dock is such an exciting place. You can see tourist ships and huge cargo ships from all over the world.

Education
Travel the world from your classroom with Free Google Earth Pro available now for education.

'Google's geo products give you and your students easy access to the world's visual information. Once, maps were available only to royalty but now, you can explore Earth, Moon, Mars, and even dive into the depths of the oceans.'
Google

Resource >> Google Education
Procedure #Research #Explaining distances and #Directions #Daily Routines
Skills >> #Self-guided learning #Working together #Empathy

1.2 New School

24/1/2016

The Story I start a new school tomorrow. I love school. I take after my Mum in that way. She is very clever. We could say my Dad is the opposite but it is hard to know as he doesn't speak a lot. To be fair to him we don't see him much.

He starts work really early and works double shifts at the Bremen docks. He comes home from work, eats his dinner then sits behind the newspaper.

Education
Bert received an enormous blow to the head and he he has a flashback to his youth.
Use an image comparison slider like this one to compare any kind of image. Students can make their own. Set each other tasks.
Which is the older image here? What has changed and what is still the same? Who has changed and who is still the same? What is Berni's relationship with each family member?
#CriticalThinking #Empathy #EmotionalIntelligence #edtech

Online Resource for comparing images >> juxtapose.knightlab.com/
Images edited on an Android phone using >> pixlr.com/ app
Procedure >> Comparing, Content Creation
Emotional Skills >> Teaching Emotional Intelligence

1.1 A bang to the head!

24/1/2016

5 May 1956 - The FA CUP Final at Wembley Stadium, London
The Story
Bert Trautmann, the Manchester City goalkeeper, dives head first at the feet of the onrushing forward in a brave attempt to save a goal, just 17 minutes from the end of the Cup Final. He receives a blow to the head which we later find out has broken a vertebrae in his neck. He is hero to many and well known for his bravery but it wasn't always like that.

What is going through Bert's mind as he clearly struggles to deal with the blinding pain?

Education
With Play Posit you can create your own online video resources. Clip videos to the exact time you want. Pause and pose questions and receive students answers and manage the class through the class dashboard.
Online Video tool >> www.playposit.com/dash
Procedure: #Using EDtech #Connecting Information #Conducting Research
Skills: #Digital Literacy #Inferring #Empathy

Part 1 Augmented Reality Storytelling

Download the free Aurasma App to your smart device from the Google or Apple store.

Start the App on your device then scan the image on the left with your device's camera to see Part One of the Bert Trautmann (Augmented Reality) Story.

See also the Transmedia page on this website for a look into the APPS and ICT ideas being used in the story.

Please feel free to get involved either by Twitter or by email.

Illustration by Duncan Frith
#AugmentedReality #Project #DigitalLiteracy #edTech #

1.16 A book

1.15 It wasn't my fault!

1.14 Peace - at any cost

1.13 Defending our Honour!

1.12 My new friends are just like me

1.11 A special visitor in the classroom

1.10 The face of a bully

1.9 Toys and Games

1.8 Another Sunday afternoon in Bremerhaven.

1.7 Mass meetings

1.6 Atlantic Liners

1.5 Going to New York

1.4 To the docks

1.3 Running Everywhere

1.2 New School

1.1 A bang to the head!

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