Digital Storytelling in Elementary Schools
What is Digital Storytelling?
Digital storytelling (DS), sometimes referred to as digital documentaries or interactive storytelling, is the art of creating unique short stories using computer-based tools. A variety of multimedia such as video, graphics, and audio are used. A mixture of computer-based images, photographs, text, music, and narration is also incorporated. Typically, these stories are short, ranging from two to ten minutes. They tell personal narratives, examine historical events, and can also be used to inform or instruct about a particular topic. They can be interactive and include games. Digital storytelling can be shared across the Internet using various video-sharing websites such as Vimeo and YouTube.
The following video provides a brief overview on what digital storytelling is and how it can be created.
(Gratigny, 2009)
How is it Relevant to Learning?
Storytelling and learning are intertwined. There are eight steps to great digital storytelling (Morra, 2014). The process of composing a story is also a process of meaning-making. Through storytelling, students are asked to reflect on what they know. The often cyclical process of revision that is involved enables the learners to record their “cognitive development process.” The stories provide a record of students’ thinking which teachers can use to assess student progress toward learning goals.
Digital Storytelling in Elementary Schools
Integration of digital resources into the elementary school curriculum has increased because today's students function in a digital world. In order for students to succeed in the 21st century, technological skills need to be learned. The increased use of technology has changed the way students respond to instruction. This has led to a new need for teachers to integrate digital resources such as digital storytelling in the curriculum (Morgan, 2014).
Digital storytelling is one of many methods that elementary teachers can incorporate project-based learning (PBL) to motivate students, promote learning, and provide a technical platform for developing 21st century skills (Morgan, 2014). Some benefits in using digital storytelling in the elementary curriculum is that during the process of creating the digital stories, students think critically and creatively. Students are able to create content that is relevant and meaningful to them. In turn, this process engages and motivates the student. They have ownership and can connect better with the subject matter content. Students are able to use digital storytelling to express themselves and project their voice. In addition, communication, interpersonal/social, and literacy skills are improved. This figure to the right represents the four key components that comprise digital storytelling in a learning setting.
Here is an example of a third grade teacher's experience with assigning a digital storytelling project to her students.
(Crotteau, 2008)
Improving Reading and Writing Skills with Digital Storytelling
Teachers can use the digital storytelling method to improve reading skills. They can do this by using digital storytelling circles (DSCs). Traditional literature circles promote reading improvement because they encourage dialogue and discussion which are crucial aspects of comprehension instruction (Reutzel & Cooter, 2012). When DSCs are used, the students are placed into small groups of three to five students to read the same text, and then they create a digital story of the text (Morgan, 2014). After all the students in the DSC have read the text, the students are assigned specific digital storytelling roles within each group. For example, one member of a group will be the director, another producer or editor, and so on. Each of the groups will decide on their purpose and work together to develop their digital story.
Digital storytelling can be implemented as an intervention strategy to encourage literacy. Book trailers are two or three-minute digital stories that require students to read and reread a text (Morgan, 2014). They select images representing the content of the book and write a script reflecting the content of the book including the message the students want to covey (Morgan, 2014). Book trailers can be helpful for unmotivated readers as well.
Steps for Creating Effective Digital Storytelling
Morgan (2014) depicts the following steps for creating an effective digital story:
1. Write a traditional story with pencil and paper
2. Sketch scenes to match the narration on a storyboard
3. Number sections to text to correspond with scenes on the storyboard
4. Collect graphics that complement the scenes, such as photographs and clip art
5. Record the narration
6. Combine the files into a movie with a video-editing program such as Movie Maker or iMovie
7. Add a title frame
Seven Elements for Creating Effective Digital Storytelling
The Center of Digital Storytelling (CDS) has developed the following seven elements that contribute towards making an effective digital story:
1. Point of View - what is the perspective of the author?
2. A Dramatic Question - a question that will be answered by the end of the story.
3. Emotional Content - serious issues that speak to us in a persona and powerful way.
4. The Gift of your Voice - a way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context.
5. The Power of the Soundtrack - music or other sound that support the storyline.
6. Economy - using just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer with too much information.
7. Pacing - related to Economy, but specifically deals with how slowly or quickly the story progresses.
Summary
Learning with digital storytelling projects in elementary schools can have many benefits. In addition to the needed technical skills, students are able to improve their literacy skills. Through the process of critical thinking, creativity, engagement, and increased motivation, students are able to make deeper connections with the subject matter content, thus having an enriched and a more meaningful learning experience.
Digital Storytelling Resources
The diagram is an example of some of the resources that are used in order to create a digital story.
List of resources
- Most computers come with video-editing software such as Windows Movie Maker for PCs and iMovie for Macs.
- Free audio-recording programs such as Audacity for PCs and Garageband for Macs are available.
- Images can be from digital cameras, cell phone cameras, and scanned photographs.
- Pictures are also available on-line under Creative Commons licenses, such as Flickr Creative Commons as long as you give credit to the owner of the image and do not use it commercially (Wawro, 2012).
- Music is also available under many websites, such as Jamendo with the same stipulations (Wawro, 2012).
Examples of Digital Stories
Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling
Creative Narrations
The East of England Broadband Network
Tutorials
How to Create a Digital Story in iMovie
References
Clips. (n.d.). In East of England Broadband Network. Retrieved from http://clips.e2bn.org/browse
Crotteau, L. (2008, December 1). Digital Storytelling Project. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5yi8R5l9e4
Digital Story Collection, Creative Narrations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.creativenarrations.net/stories
Gratigny, J. (2009, September 1). What is Digital Storytelling? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/dKZiXR5qUlQ
Morgan, H. (2014). Using digital story projects to help students improve in reading and writing. Reading Improvement, 51(1), 20-26.
Morra, S. (2014). Technology Transforming Teaching & Learning. Retrieved from
http://samanthamorra.com/2013/06/05/edudemic-article-on-digital-storytelling/
Reutzel, R, & Cooter. R. B. (2012). Teaching children to read: The teacher makes the difference. New York: Pearson.
Richter, L. (2015, March 18). How to Create a Digital Story in iMovie. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFujMri3Xp4&feature=youtu.be
Robin, B. (2015). The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. Retrieved from http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu
Wawro, L. (2012). Digital storytelling. Children & Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To Children, 10(1), 50-52.
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