Avoiding the Digital Abyss: Getting Started in the Classroom with YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs

Abstract

In this article, the authors discuss a rural middle school teacher's use of YouTube, digital stories, and blogs in a language arts curriculum. The authors also share the voices of middle school students as they learn through this technology in the classroom. Although a wide variety of technology integration exists in this middle school language arts classroom, the authors highlight the use of YouTube, digital stories, and blogs because they represent simple tools appropriate for any teacher's use and can easily be used together. The authors explain how to use these digital tools and provide examples of actual classroom practice.