DS: Week 1 Blog

Welcome to Tech, Teaching, & Travel with Dana

My name is Dana Setchell, and I live in a small town just 10 minutes northwest of Wichita, Kansas. I’ve been married for 17 years to my husband, who is a firefighter, and we have an amazing kid who’s currently in 7th grade. He truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me and being his mom brings me so much joy! Family is very important to me and I love mine!!!

Teaching is my second career. Before entering the education field, I worked at an investment company for 11 years. But at 29, I decided it was time to follow my childhood dream of becoming a teacher—it’s never too late, right? I wasn’t sure which path to take in education, so I did several classroom observations. One of my best friends, who was a special ed teacher, invited me to check out her classroom. Within minutes of being there, I knew that special education was what I wanted to pursue.

The next two and a half years were a whirlwind. I had a baby, completed my degree in elementary education with minors in special education and ESOL, and then began my teaching career. Since then, I’ve been a middle school special education teacher, teaching adapted math for grades 6, 7, and 8. Currently, I teach 8th grade adapted math at Maize Middle School, which is a suburb of Wichita. In addition to teaching, I serve as the Department Head of Special Education at my school and I am on the building- and district-level teams. This year, I have 26 students on my IEP caseload, and to say I’m busy would be an understatement! But hey, who needs sleep when you have caffeine and a passion? 😂

I have always been very passionate about special education, which led me to pursue my Master's in Special Education Administration from SOSU. I’m proud to say I just finished the program two weeks ago! I decided to go for a second Master's degree—because why not? My long-term goal is to eventually work at the district level, possibly as an IEP Coach, Instructional Coach, or in a similar role where I can support both teachers and students on a broader scale.

In my school, general education teachers often ask me to observe their classrooms and provide ideas for helping struggling learners, which is something I really enjoy. That’s what sparked my decision to pursue a Master's in Curriculum & Instruction. I chose to focus on educational technology because I love incorporating tech into my classroom and teaching practices. I also enjoy being creative and gamifying lessons, and I believe technology has the power to significantly boost student engagement and learning. Honestly, what teacher doesn’t love seeing their students' eyes light up when learning is gamified or presented through creative, tech-driven methods? 

Why Digital Storytelling?

Now, on to the real reason we’re here: Digital Storytelling (DST). DST blends personal narratives with multimedia elements like images, sound, video, and text to create powerful, engaging stories. It’s not just another tech tool—it’s an opportunity to take learning to a deeper level. Research shows that DST can improve student engagement, critical thinking, and collaboration, and it helps students connect personally with the material they’re learning​ (Lambert, 2010; Staley & Freeman, 2017).

The beauty of DST lies in its ability to help students tell their own stories. As educators, we often talk about meeting students where they are. DST takes that a step further by giving them the tools to express their experiences, perspectives, and learning journeys in a way that resonates with them—and, just as importantly, with their peers (Davis & Foley, 2016).

The Global Classroom: Empowering Students Through Experiential Learning

This summer, I had the privilege of traveling to Italy with a group of students through EF Tours. As someone who loves innovation in education, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to see students stepping outside the classroom and engaging with the world firsthand. There’s something transformative about learning through experience—something that can’t quite be replicated in a textbook or even on a screen. 

Students returned from this trip with new confidence, a deeper understanding of different cultures, and an expanded sense of curiosity. EF Educational Tours (2019) reported that 93% of students say travel expands their knowledge of the world, and 92% say they discovered more about themselves​. I’m excited to incorporate this experience into my digital storytelling project, where I’ll showcase how travel and real-world experiences can significantly impact student learning.



Looking Forward

As I work through this course, I plan to develop a digital story that highlights the importance of student travel and how it brings education to life. I hope to inspire other educators to explore DST and experiential learning, whether through travel, community engagement, or simply allowing students to tell their stories through technology. 

Thank you for joining me (DSetch) on this journey! I look forward to sharing more insights and stories as I continue to blend educational technology with meaningful teaching experiences.

References:

Davis, A., & Foley, L. (2016). Digital storytelling. In B. J. Guzzetti & M. Lesley (Eds.), Handbook of research on the societal impact of digital media (pp. 317-331). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8310-5.ch013

EF Educational Tours. (2019). Post-tour student survey. EF Educational Tours. Retrieved from https://www.eftours.com/

Lambert, J. (2010). Digital storytelling: Capturing lives, creating community. Digital Diner Press.

Staley, B., & Freeman, L. A. (2017). Digital storytelling as student-centred pedagogy: Empowering high school students to frame their futures. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 12(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-017-0061-9

 


Comments

  1. NathanOctober 19, 2024 at 9:26 PM

    Great work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kathy SportsmanOctober 20, 2024 at 2:15 PM

    Your blog is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. MistyOctober 20, 2024 at 5:20 PM

    It’s great to hear about your journey into education and your passion for special education. I love how you followed your childhood dream and made such an impactful career change. Your experiences and dedication to both your students and your family really come through. I’m interested in your approach to incorporating technology and gamification in the classroom. It’s so true that when students are engaged through creative, tech-driven methods, the learning experience becomes so much more exciting for them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dana SetchellOctober 23, 2024 at 4:07 PM

      Thank you so much!!!! I even turn boring worksheets into games. ANYTHING to get my students engaged :) I actually purchased a book from a former peer of mine (We went to Fort Hays State University together for our undgrad). He made a gamification book and I love getting ideas from there! .... and it's cool that someone I know wrote it!

      Delete
  4. DannaOctober 20, 2024 at 6:01 PM

    Dana- Great blog! I can tell you put so much hard work in on it. Congrats on finishing your first masters degree!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 23, 2024 at 4:04 PM

      Thank you so much!!! Are you Day-na too? Or Dan-nuh? 😍 haha... I'm glad you can tell I put a lot of work into it. With trying to figure out HOW to Blog and to write it, we're talking about 6+ hours. Oh my goodness LOL!!! This is challenging me and I like it!

      Delete
  5. JingJuly 5, 2025 at 5:55 PM

    Dana, your blog is very creative and engaging. You're not just posting your daily pictures; you're also posting videos. It inspires me to do this. I love your blog; it's fantastic and creative.

    ReplyDelete

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