Digital Storytelling Research

What is Digital Storytelling?




Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. As with traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. However, as the name implies, digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music. Digital stories can vary in length, but most of the stories used in education typically last between two and ten minutes. And the topics that are used in Digital Storytelling range from personal tales to the recounting of historical events, from exploring life in one's own community to the search for life in other corners of the universe, and literally, everything in between. A great way to begin learning about Digital Storytelling is by watching the following video introduction to Digital Storytelling.









The Uses of Digital Storytelling in the Classroom



Stories created by teachers can serve as a lesson hook, as a way to integrate multimedia into the curriculum, as a way to make difficult content more understandable and to facilitate classroom discussion. The students will use a variety of skills in developing a digital story such as: writing skills, research skills, organizational skills, presentation skills, technology skills and problem-solving skills.



Scaffolding Digital Storytelling for the Classroom



Digital storytelling is not just limited to writing and language arts-it can be used for a variety of subjects such as science or math. Here are two examples: Develop a short story about a historical, scientific, literary, or current political/social hero students most want to be like, telling the story as if they were actually that person. The storytelling goes beyond the facts to unfold a deeper meaning about their hero’s importance to themselves, their community, or humanity through the lesson learned. Act as if you are a totem pole (panda bear, invention, math/science concept, or song), telling your autobiographical story through the use of personification culminating in a lesson learned about the deeper meaning of their inanimate object’s importance to themselves, their community, or humanity through a lesson learned.



Challenges of Using Digital Storytelling in a Classroom Setting With Different Age Groups



I believe that there are various challenges in using digital storytelling with various age groups. The educator may use this technology to make their own story early on in K-3rd grade because the technology that is involved (computers, digital cameras, voice recorders, flash drives, etc.) may be too much for the students in those grades to handle. Also, such equipment is expensive and sensitive, and most people don’t believe that such equipment would survive long with children of that age.



Tools Students Need To Make a Successful Photo Story



Besides the Photo Story program, students need the following tools to make a successful Photo Story: A digital camera, A memory stick, card for that camera, a way to import pictures to a computer, a computer, a voice recorder and of course a topic to write about. Then you can let the imagination fly!



Bibliography:



http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/



www.adobe.com/education/instruction/adsc/pdf/digital_storytelling.pdf



http://www.slideshare.net/mikeromard/photostory-for-elementary-students-presentation



http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=Tools+needed+to+make+a+successful+photo+story&rlz=1R2GPCK_en&aq=f&oq=&aqi=



http://www.scribd.com/doc/16452960/Art-of-Digital-Storytelling