IATEFL Conference, Cardiff

I recently attended and gave a presentation the IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) annual conference in Cardiff, Wales. It was a great opportunity to spread the word about digital storytelling and to see how it fits into the bigger picture of what is happening in the field. Click here for a link to my presentation and slides.


My biggest discovery was the notion of 'identity texts'. The concept, as originally conceived by Professor Jim Cummins, was highlighted in the presentations of two of the plenary speakers at the conference; Professor Bonny Norton and Claudia Ferradas. (Click on their names to see videos of their plenaries). Broadly, identity texts can include essays, poems, works of visual art, drama, music - any texts through which we can express who we are, and in doing so, come to view ourselves in a positive light. What came across in both plenaries was that construction of identity texts can lead to higher levels of investment, both in classroom and imagined communities.

When I heard this, it was clear to me that digital stories are indeed identity texts, and this may explain why my students have been so engaged in the process of creating them and so proud of their achievements.

Digital stories from last week

Last Thursday, my latest group of advanced English language learners screened their digital stories in the school auditorium. As usual, the stories dealt with a wide range of themes - special or influential people, significant life turning points, favourite pastimes and the challenges of living in another country, to name but a few. The audience laughed, cried and was, above all, impressed.

Here are a couple of those stories, posted here with the permission of the creators:

Yoon's story is about my colleague and friend, Paul Raynis - a teacher who has profoundly affected his life.

Sabina's story touches us with her passion for art.

Yukiko infects us with her enthusiasm for skiing and shows the impact 'Uru' has had on her life.

Jacob tells us how he changed his life and went from 100 to 70 kgs.