Digital Storytelling
According to the Center of Digital Storytelling, digital storytelling is “the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories.” After perusing this website, I was amazed at how many different ways digital storytelling is being incorporated into the classroom. Since most classrooms are equipped with at least one computer, the idea of using this type of project seems appealing. However, one must definitely consider the amount of work and preparation required to make this type of project successful. I must admit that I have tried to use digital storytelling in my classes and oh my goodness…can you say HEADACHE? Part of my issue was that I didn’t consider ALL the parts of the project. I only considered the actual assignment and didn’t factor in the amount of time it would take to locate images and sound clips, type captions and sentences, the amount of storage space required and the students’ limited knowledge of programs used to create their projects.
I read Digital Storytelling: Tips and Resources by Dr. Gail Matthews-DeNatale for this post and it was super helpful. I felt so inspired and relieved (like I’m not the only teacher that’s tried to incorporate digital storytelling unsuccessfully). One of the things that I found most helpful in her tips is the suggestion of using a timeline. I also love the idea of showing students example of the project as well as a rubric. This suggestion is great because then it would require me to create a digital story and in the process I could work out some of the kinks prior to giving the assignment to my students.
In conclusion, I think that digital storytelling is a great project that can be incorporated into any subject area. However, I now realize that while the final product may only be 3 – 5 minutes in length the journey to get to this end can take weeks if not months depending on the assignment and the age of the students. My goal for this school year is to try to complete one digital storytelling project with one of my classes. I’m starting small. So while I know that the other classes might feel cheated, I feel like I need a little more time before I try to do this with all six of my classes.
References
Matthews-DeNatale, G. (2008). Digital storytelling: tips and resources.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts and resources with us! I agree with you about the fact that you must plan for this type of project to be a success. It is very difficult when the class is working with different levels of technology. I would think that this is extremely difficult to do with anything less than 1 computer/ student.
I am looking forward to using this project with my students to present a video about a theater production we will be presenting.The ideas about collecting the images and sound and all other files would help keep the project uniform to some extent.
Looking forward to doing more research here to learn more.
Barry
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThe project we’re working on for this course (our digital stories) brings home all of the points you make in your blog. Constructing a digital story is a complex and multi-layered process for both teachers and students. Barry also makes a good point in his response to your blog; we have to take into consideration the differing levels of technology expertise of our students when we consider this type of assignment. Both teachers and students need to be fully prepared or this type of task can lead to unnecessary frustration - and possibly failure. And the last thing we want to do is possible turn students off to either technology or learning.
Perhaps one way to build the necessary skills – for both ourselves and our students – is to use simpler project-building programs, such as Voki or Animoto, more frequently and at an earlier age. A lot of the preliminary concepts – basic research, choosing images, sequencing, adding text, etc. – can be mastered this way. We can also consider offering students a menu of project options as a way of addressing their differing skills levels and of differentiating instruction. This might mean extra work for the teacher up front, but if this approach allows students to both advance in their technology skills and demonstrate content mastery, it’s a better option.
Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone in facing a roadblock or two along this learning curve. Now back to my own digital story project. Hope yours is going well.
Liz
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteWow! I didn’t realize that there was a center of Digital Storytelling. I am looking forward to checking out that site. Digital Storytelling seems to be very detailed and time consuming. I appreciate your candor about this and your suggestions to combat the lengthiness of such projects. Taking it slow is a good idea, then building on it. Your suggestion to use a time line is a great idea!
Thanks for all the tips and help!
You made some good points in your post. I am a bit intimidated by digital storytelling and using them in my classroom. I know that they will take a lot of time to create, but I do think that the kids would learn a great deal from them. I agree that creating a timeline would help and showing the students a sample to use as a guide. I love using rubrics in my classroom and definitely think that they would be a must for this project. Great post and good luck incorporating this into your class this year!
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