Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is the practice of telling stories through the use of computer-based tools, or digital tools, such as computer based images, text, recorded audio, video, sounds, and music. Just like other stories, digital stories can be on any topic and be of varying lengths. Anyone can create a digital story to document life experiences, ideas, feelings, thoughts, or their creativity by combining story and digital media. there are multiple software programs and applications and web based tools that support the creation of digital stories. Software for includes video: Microsoft Photostory, Windows Movie Maker, and Apple iMovie; audio: Audacity and Goldwave; images: Adobe Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro; players: Windows Media Player, iTunes, QuickTime, and Adobe Flash Player. Web tools include slideshow tools, which generate content for linear playpack of images (Joggle, ImageLoop, One true Media, SlideFlickr, Picasa); timeline tools, which organize events on a timeline by date and time using texts, images, etc (OurStory, xtimeline); mixer tools, which are similar to slideshow tools but offer a larger variety of media types that can be mixed (Voice Thread, Mixercast). Other tools include Comic sketch tools, map tools, audio tools, collage tools, video tools, and presentation tools. Digital media can be used to build partnerships between community, educational, and business institutions to develop initiative in multiple areas, such as health, social services, education, historic and cultural preservation, community development, human rights, and environmental justice.

Digital storytelling can be used in the field of education as an effective instructional tool and supplement to teachers. As a teacher, I could create stories and show them as a way to present new material to my students in a way that is interesting to them and grabs their attention and makes learning fun. By using digital storytelling, I can enhance the material being taught with the use of images, sounds, and effects that stimulate my students' senses and engage them in the learning process. By using more than traditional speech and standard visual aids, I can help my students better understand material. Digital storytelling would help me enhance preexisting lessons, present new material, make difficult content more understandable, and facilitate discussion and involvement. I can also have students create digital stories for classwork, homework, projects, or student of the week presentations. By doing this they will become actively engaged and interested in what they are working on, learn to work with others, and present their work to the class by sharing their story. They will learn research, writing, organization, technology, and presentation skills.



This video explains the use of digital storytelling in the classroom through the eyes of a student. I chose this source because in a very simple way it explains how digital storytelling is beneficial to students in the classroom, how it can be used, what students can gain from using it, and how digital storytelling is a revolutionary and effective learning and teaching tool.