Digital Storytelling is the process of oral storytelling with multi-media elements. It is now being widely used in the classroom. Teachers are not only showing the digital stories of others but also having students tell their own stories and others’ stories. Using multimedia energizes students to dig into research that they are otherwise sometimes loath to take on. Students are asked to create stories of famous figures in history. Students are learning history as well as creative skills in order to tell the story of another. Through the storytelling process students also develop skills of reflection to understand history in relation to their own experiences. Then students their communication skills by creating narratives that reflect their insights and learning to write for an audience.
Researcher and digital culture consultant, John Seely Brown described digital storytelling this way:
I’m particularly interested in Digital Storytelling, in new ways to use multiple media to tell stories and in the ability of kids, who are now growing up in a digital world, to figure out new ways to tell stories. They have the ability to build interpretive movies very simply and to lay sound tracks around the content. They condition or "sculpture" the context around the content. The serious interplay between context and content is key to what film—and rich media in general—are about.
Today the use of digital storytelling is being practiced in neighborhood community centers, schools, libraries and businesses, by novice technology users to those with advanced skills. In the field of education, teachers and their students, from early childhood classrooms through graduate school, are using digital storytelling in many different content areas and across a wide range of grade levels.
STORYBIRD
Storybird is a collaborative storytelling tool. Students use collections of art to be inspired to write stories. One the art is chosen, students are able to build there story by dragging and dropping pictures and creating a story to match. It’s great for teachers because they’re able to easily create student accounts and assignments for students. It’s also simple to collaborate with others whether it’s another student in class or someone from another country! Storybird is an extremely engaging site that allows students to focus more on the content of their writing rather than drawing pictures!
