How could teachers support students in acquiring digital, civic and social skills?
How could we help teachers in their job to educate students to diversity?
Digital storytelling is a very effective tool to promote cultural diversity and intercultural skills both in students and in teachers.
MYSTY – MyStory: Digital Storytelling Toolbox for Diversity Training in Schools second meeting took place from 21st to 23rd May in Graz (Austria).
After long months of preparation focusing on how to introduce digital storytelling in the various school involved, we had the opportunity to participate in the presentation of digital stories created by the students.
Hosted by Universitaet Graz, Graz International Bilingual School pupils bared their emotions by telling very personal stories using digital tools. The content of the stories was perfectly focused on the purpose of presenting diversity and experience of the others through the use of digital storytelling.
After intense months of work, it was exciting to see how youth aged between 13 and 16 have absorbed the instructions for creating the stories, making them pure moments of sharing of topics like their families, traditions and culinary habits.
These stories will guide other European students who will work on the creation of their stories in the coming months, also using the advices of their peers on how to create a digital story with specific computer tools and copyright. To give continuity to this work, students will create a Guide that will be available on the MYSTY website.
The next meeting will take place in Palermo from 19 to 21 October.
MYSTY is funded by the Erasmus + program – Key Action 2: Strategic Partnerships Schools and aims to create innovative tools for pupils and teachers – specifically, digital storytelling – to share and introduce such teaching practice to enhance awareness on diversity within the school environment.
The project partnership holds together 8 organisations:
- University Of Gloucestershire LBG (UK, Coordinator);
- BG Georgigasse – Graz International Bilingual School (Austria);
- Universitaet Graz (Austria);
- Baross Gábor Általános Iskola Tanulóiért Alapítvány (Hungary);
- Rogers Személyközpontú Oktatásért Alapítvány (Hungary);
- Istituto Magistrale Statale “Regina Margherita” (Italy);
- St Edward’s School (UK);
- Centro Per Lo Sviluppo Creativo Danilo Dolci (Italy).
For further information, please contact irene.ippolito@danilodolci.org.