Ms Cantrell's Learning Garden: Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling engages students in a modern classroom. It offers building of literacy skills such as author's voice, and point of view, deepens knowledge across subjects, provides assessment to showcase learning, encourages collaboration, and allows students to take ownership of their learning.
How to get Started: Teach students HOW to use digital storytelling. Give clear expectations and set guidelines for completion. Teach students HOW to pay attention to details! Teach them to be observant, patient, and always willing to open their minds to something new. We have to TRUST our students! If we never give our students responsibility to complete their own work, and if we never trust that they are competent enough to do it on their own, not only are we depriving them of developmentally appropriate strides in learning, we are demoting their self confidence as learners.
Skills that Digital Storytelling Enhances:
Digital Storytelling helps students reinforce the ability to recall information that is prioritized in the story or passage. It teaches students how to write to their audience, and how to develop their own voice. It promotes creativity and even enhances public speaking ability!
"We Remember Through Stories"
Digital Storytelling SHOULD NOT be used to teach a topic for the first time. It should be used to express what students have already learned and want to showcase. Teachers should provide explicit instruction on what to do AS WELL AS what not to do! The use of rubrics is beneficial. Most of all, have realistic expectations. Set realistic goals and help your students reach them.
What have I learned? How will this benefit me as a teacher?
I have always loved the concept of storytelling. Digital storytelling was new to me as well, but I still enjoy the concept of physically and visually telling a story. Doing this allows students to give content a new meaning, and allows them to apply their content knowledge, not just regurgitate it. Digital Storytelling gives students the why and how of learning! As a teacher, I will allow my students to express their learning in any appropriate way that is best for them. Digital Storytelling will definitely be one of the options.

The following pictures showcase digital storytelling in action. The first picture is of an example of a digital storytelling app, felt board. This app allows students to make felt images of what information or story they are trying to tell. The second picture is an example of another digital storytelling app, puppet pals. On this app, students pose as puppets and record their voice as they tell a story.