10 project ideas for developing students’ creativity and digital storytelling skills

Ulla-Maaria Koivula March 22, 2020

Schools are embracing blended learning approaches using devices at school and at home. How can you put those devices to work in a way that develops their creativity and digital skills?

Drawing, doodling, and digital storytelling: a multi-channel strategy for learning at home

Research suggests that handwriting notes is better for later memory than typing notes using a keyboard. Similar to handwriting, drawing, coloring and doodling all improve memory, helping the student’s motor system connect with the visual system and brain regions associated with memory. For this reason, teachers in classrooms use various visualization techniques to engage and help younger students who are having trouble focusing and reading. When students work from home, there are several ways to combine handwriting, drawing, photography, or arts and crafts with digital storytelling using ThingLink, and share the work with teachers and the classroom.

This article lists 10 easy project ideas from the ThingLink community that encourage students to 1) make handwritten, visual and pictorial notes, collages and artwork, and 2) enhance and explain their work using digital audio and text notes, close-up photos and video.

1. Design a greeting card for grandparents or friends

When you design or draw a greeting card for a family member or friend, why not take a photo of the drawing or setup, and use ThingLink to add your voice greeting?

2. Introduce yourself with an interactive poster

Between kindergarten and middle school, students engage in several art projects to introduce themselves to the rest of the classroom.

Project idea: Create an interactive all-about-me poster. Use your phone or tablet to take a photo of it and explain it using text, video, or voice notes.

3. Create an interactive book review poster – once a week!

Most elementary school and middle school students read at least 30 minutes every day.

Project idea: Report your reading by creating an interactive poster of each book you have read while staying at home. Use ThingLink to add voice or text notes about the book. Add a link to your LMS to share with your teacher.

4. Create an interactive herbarium 

Making your own herbarium is a great way for students and their parents to learn about botany and plants.

Project idea: Go outside and find plants that you don’t already know. Take multiple photos of each plant in their natural habitat, or if you have brought them home, position each on a surface for a photo. Use ThingLink to add more information about them in the interactive tags.

5. Make your own comic strips

Self-made comic strips can be used as a visualization technique for any subject.

Project idea: Make your own comic strip, and add the speech bubbles and sound effects using ThingLink.

6. Create an interactive map 

Drawing maps is another great way to summarize learning in social studies or science.

Project idea: Draw or paint a map, and use your phone or tablet to take a photo of it. Use ThingLink to add additional information, music, sounds, or interviews to the various spots on the map.  

Get inspired with some great examples of interactive maps. Read more below:

• Six examples of interactive maps
• How to make an interactive maps in three easy steps: A case study from Ukraine

7. Make a vocabulary poster in a foreign language

This is a true multi-channel exercise that combines an illustration of a word, its written form, as well as its pronunciation in a foreign language.

Project idea: Summarize a list of new words in a chapter or article you have read. Draw/doodle an illustration of each word. Use ThingLink to record the pronunciation for each word.

8. Explain the details of a painting

Several museums have recently opened their image archives for public use.

Project idea: Choose a painting and find more information about it online. Use ThingLink to explain the details of the painting to someone who does not know it – as in the example below.

9. Create an interactive timeline

Timelines are a great way to memorize sequences of historical periods or events.

Project idea: Make a visualization of a timeline using your preferred technique. Use ThingLink to add more information about each detail. Here’s an example below!

For more ideas and guidance on creating an interactive timeline, see our blog Create interactive timelines for kids

10. Build a diorama

A diorama, a three-dimensional miniature model, is a wonderfully creative way for illustrating a story or a sequence of events.

Project idea: Use a combination of materials, techniques or toys to build a scene. Add voice or video narration to your story using ThingLink.

Related reading

You may also be interested in:

• What is digital storytelling and how to use it in the most powerful way
• Why is project-based learning so important?

Join us!

For more inspiration and ideas, why not join one of our friendly communities on social media? The ThingLink Education Group on Facebook and the LinkedIn ThingLink Community will be delighted to welcome you!

Project examples and photo credits: Eliel and Ella Engestrom