Digital Sotrytelling: A Fun Tool for Classrooms!

Photo by: Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne Jones

I have just learned a lot about this idea called "Digital Storytelling." After reviewing what this tool actually is and what it does I have realized that there are so many ways in which I could incorporate this into an L2 classroom, or any classroom for that matter. It could even be used for personal use and doesn't need to be used in a classroom whatsoever.

What is digital storytelling you ask? I found out a lot of useful information about this tool from the EDUcause Learning Initiative PDF. In this source, titled "7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling" they describe digital stroytelling as "the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional component." They also state that, "Some learning theorists believe that as a pedagogical technique, storytelling can be effectively applied to nearly any subject."

I really like the idea of using this tool in the classroom because you can not only use it individually but it can be used collaboratively as well. This type of tool allows the students to publish their work and gives them a sense of ownership. It is a very powerful thing when students are able to display their own work to their teachers, peers, parents/guardians, siblings, etc...This tool could be used inside and outside of the classroom, meaning that the students could use this tool in school and at home. The students are also developing literacy skills in a fun and innovative way rather than simply writing something down on paper. They are really able to delve into their imagination and creativity with this tool.

"A Vision of K-12 Students Today"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8

This video has got to be one of the most inspiring videos I have watched in a long time! I am learning more and more every day how unaware I truly am about the impacts the use of technology has on teaching and the classroom. I am taking those initial "baby steps" but I have already learned so much and I can only hope to continue learning more ways to improve the education of my future students. I especially liked how they used "signs" in this video to portray the messages they wanted to send. My personal favorite was the one where they said "Let me use the WWW, Whatever, Whenever, Wherever." I fee like a lot of us assume that these technological devices that our students use on a daily basis will inhibit learning. I say don't look at it as inhibiting, look at is a challenge. How can you use these devices that these students are so attuned with and use them in your own classroom to promote learning?