in 7
[page 9 • February 2015]
Digital Storytelling: New Frontiers
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What is Digital
Storytelling?
2
How is it done?
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Why use it in education?
In essence, digital
storytelling is any project
that leverages digital media
platforms to tell a story. In
this way, educators have been
using presentation software like
PowerPoint, successfully for years.
Presentation software became the
one-stop shop where teachers and
students could integrate rich media
in a sequential “story-like” format.
Today, applications exist specifically
for the purpose of stroytelling and
doing so within a mobile system.
As social media has
grown over the last two
decades, digital storytelling
has also evolved organically.
Today, students, teachers, news
organizations, advertisers and
anyone who wants to engage an
audience with authentic content
is using digital storytelling. On
the professional end of this
media channel, organizations
and companies employ editorial
and content development teams
to create rich media experiences
accessible in a variety of ways.
Writing effectively has long
been a focus of educators
at every level. Teaching
students the elements of story
begins early in a student’s life. As
students transition to persuasive
and expository writing, often the
use of story to illustrate a point
is an effective technique. Within
the modern workforce, people in
marketing, promotions, product
development, and business at every
level are employing story-telling
strategies to engage audiences.
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5
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What are some of the
major services or apps?
Software and applications
designed to engage
specific developmental levels
of students have existed for
years. KidPix for example is one
such application. Today, digital
storytelling has moved out of the
classroom and into the everyday
lives of millennials. On the web,
http://storify.com/ is an excellent
web-based platform. For mobile
users, applications like Animoto and
Storehouse are excellent platforms
for students.
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Other Considerations:
Some of the
applications used for
digital storytelling are
dependent upon specific platforms
or operating systems. This can
limit accessibility. It’s always bestpractice to introduce a project
where students are manipulating
images and perhaps engaging
within an external environment
like social media by notifying
parents and administrators of
the parameters of the project
beforehand.
Are there specific
concerns for educators?
Just as with any publishing
project, educators must
be aware of content and copy.
Copyright rules, appropriate
content, and accuracy of
information is always a concern.
Using rubrics to identify standards
for these types of issues is a
very effective tool which helps
teachers, students and parents to
understand expectations. Working
on projects in a team format
with specific parameters keeps
everyone goal oriented.
In 7 is a recurring feature in
editions of Issues. Each In
7 article will focus on some
new, emerging, or existing
topic relevant to education.
Technology integration,
engagement strategies,
classroom management
systems, and virtually any other
relevant education topics might
be featured in the future. In 7
articles will adhere to a common
framework so that readers can
discover something new “In 7”
questions and answers.
What is a specific
example of how this is
being used?
Example Lesson: Mrs.
Jones is teaching her history
students about civil rights. She
assigns them a team project where
students use digital storytelling
to collect quotes, images, videos,
and other media evidence used to
describe the civil rights movement.
She instructs the teams that their
digital storytelling product will
incorporate their own pictures
and experiences to connect to the
lesson concepts.