This presentation explores three separate spheres — the ESL classroom, student stories and digital technology — to discover how they can work together to build cultural awareness, computer literacy and language skills, and to extend the student community beyond the classroom.

When first-person narratives meet the realm of technology, digital storytelling is one result. Whatever form it may take — audio, photographic essay, video — it is powerful in its capacity to give students confidence, skills and a voice in English. We will investigate low-cost and free technical tools that are user-friendly, and will consider the advantages and challenges of such multimodal learning.

In the context of the classroom, students’ first-person stories can be a springboard for deepening cross-cultural awareness. Learning digital technology enhances computer literacy. We will investigate these ideas, and take them a step further: into the realm of social media. How can learning about cultural experience and language stretch beyond the walls of the classroom? We will assess the use of blogs, Facebook, wikis and other innovations as ways to build community, enhance collaboration and maximize learning opportunities.