Selected as a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert for 2018...

Got the news today that I have been selected as a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert – for the third year in a row! Yay!!! The email says, “...You are part of an elite group of educators in South Africa or Lesotho as well as globally who have taken the plunge and are experimenting with new ways of teaching and learning for your students, and exploring the role that Microsoft technology can play in this journey. Our most active Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts will stand a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to the annual Global Educator Exchange Event being held in Seoul, South Korea in March 2018. Educators that have attended one of the 12 previous global forums have returned to their schools changed teachers with a whole new perspective on what is possible in their schools. We will also be hosting a local Educator Exchange in May 2018 so if you don’t get chosen to attend the Global event, you will still have an opportunity to join about 50 local teachers for 2 days of fun and learning in May 2018.” Excited!

Webinar recording and presentation download link 'Digital storytelling as a means to encourage students to write' by Fiona Beal

On Thursday 28th September at 3:15pm SchoolNet held a webinar which was presented by ypurs truly - me! The webinar was entitled ‘Digital storytelling as a means to encourage students to write'

Webinar description
This is how i described the webinar when it was being advertised: 'The world is changing. The way we write is changing! This is where digital storytelling comes in. Digital storytelling is a great way to give your students a creative way to tell their stories, and to get them to see the stories all around them in everyday life. In this webinar we will look at an overview of digital storytelling including how the Internet is changing writing. We’ll look at some key resources as well as useful free storytelling tools that one can use. Lastly we’ll discuss some simple ways of introducing digital storytelling in your classroom as well as some more advanced methods of creating a digital story. Perhaps you can share an idea or two of how you use digital storytelling in the classroom or in your life, if you attend this webinar?

The downloadable webinar presentation
Here is the downloadable presentation from the webinar available online in SlideShare from this link:

Digital storytelling as a way of encouraging writing - by Fiona Beal from Schoolnet SA

Webinar recording

The webinar recording can be listened to and viewed on the following YouTube link: (still to be added)