Speaking Topics
- Understanding the component parts of digital storytelling and why this literacy is essential to the classroom
- Integrating digital storytelling seamlessly into the classroom and the curriculum
- Utilizing story as a primary container for expression of academic content, a process that naturally integrates the elements of empathy with curriculum
- Building a vocabulary of story formats, with a particular focus on the vlog, the monologue, and the mystery
- Integrating podcasts and radio drama creation into the curriculum to increase learning and engagement
- Preparing students for a culture of omnipresent change by focusing on the skills and processes involved in digital story creation
- Focusing on the specific narrative elements of the public service announcement format (PSA) as a vehicle for social change and deep learning
Speaker Profile
Brett Pierce is an educator, creative program developer, and producer who founded and leads Meridian Stories, a digital storytelling nonprofit for middle and high schoolers that challenges students to create digital narratives around core curricular goals. Writer of the award-winning "Storytelling for Impact" series from National Geographic and the Heinemann book, Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling into Your Classroom, Brett has spent much of his professional life at Sesame Workshop in New York City, serving as a co-executive producer on media projects about literacy, math, science, gender equity and conflict-resolution for youth around the world, including, most recently, Iraq and South Sudan.
Brett holds a BA from Kenyon College, and Master’s Degrees from Middlebury College (English) and Columbia University (Education), and teaches an annual intensive course at Colby College called "Developing Media for Social Change." He lives in Freeport, Maine.
Grades: K–12
