Reflections on the Reading

Our class’ text book is Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity by Jason Ohler. I have been reading through the first several chapters and have found many jewels of information, connections to my teaching, and new concepts of which I need to increase my knowledge. I also found that several concepts were simply common sense, such as digital storytelling should be storytelling first and digital content second; no amount of digital content can cover up a weak story.

I really enjoyed the first chapter of the book, entitled Confessions of a Digital Storytelling Teacher. This chapter reminds us that storytelling is an essential element in human nature; our lives are made up of stories and we all have the need to share these stories. Although storytelling has been an integral part of education, students usually create stories on paper. Digital storytelling allows students to use various technologies to enhance their stories. In my experience as an educator, I find that many teachers shy away from utilizing technology because they haven’t mastered the technology that they want their students to use. They are worried that because their students are more comfortable with technology than they are, the students will view the assignments as worthless and the teacher as a fraud. Ohler reminds us that it is less important for the teacher to demonstrate mastery of the technology as the students will often be more advanced in the technological world. It is more important for teachers to be “advanced managers of their students’ talents, time, and productivity.” That is, the teacher should act as a guide, not as a technology guru.

As I continued reading through the next several chapters in Ohler’s book, I found several topics to be very helpful. I appreciated the information on how digital storytelling relates to educational standards and all of the tips on how to plan for and implement digital storytelling assignments. I also really liked the examples of digital stories as there were many different types of digital stories presented. It gave me some great ideas on how digital storytelling in my own classroom.

Group Project Update

In EDT503 at West Chester University, I am participating in a group project in which we are to explain digital storytelling in the format of a digital story. My group consists of four educators that span many grade levels and areas of expertise. As a result, we decided to not only define digital storytelling, but give examples of how it can be used effectively in multiple age groups and subject areas. We have decided to work together to create the introduction and conclusion of our digital story and then each work on creating a short piece on varying grade levels to show how to effectively use digital storytelling in the K-12 setting.

For my individual piece, I decided to research how to best use digital storytelling with elementary students. As a first grade teacher I often hear that it is simply “too hard” for young students to participate in technologically advanced projects such as creating a video. I think that as long as the teachers provide the proper instruction and supports, the students will experience success. As I contemplated how digital storytelling could be used with my students, I realized that many forms of stories could easily be transferred to the digital format. Elementary teachers often create class books, in which each student contributes a page to a centrally themed book (i.e. Our Families). The teacher could easily turn this classic assignment into a digital story by filming each student as he or she reads his/her page aloud. Pair their narration with the image of their drawing and then string all of the students’ individual pieces together to create a digital class book! Teachers could also have students create individual or group digital stories of pieces that they have written, retelling of well known stories, or even creating a new version of a beloved tale. There are many ways in which elementary students can be engaged in digital storytelling and, I believe, all ways would prove to be exciting for the students.

I have discussed these points in the narration for my individual portion of my group’s digital story. I know that my group members are also thinking of creative ways for their students to engage in digital storytelling and I can’t wait to see the final product of our collective work.

Digital Storytelling Video Review

As I sifted through the videos posted on www.storycenter.org/, I couldn’t help but notice how heavy much of the content was. The stories’ themes tackled the difficult loss of a loved one, relocation due to destruction of homes and war, and personal sacrifice. These stories were sad, but with poignant, teachable moments.

The video that struck me the most, the one I chose to reflect upon for this assignment, was entitled “Helpless” by Adrian Nava. I think it hit me the hardest because it was created by a young boy, just a kid, reflecting on the horrors of growing up in a neighborhood that was, as he said, “swarming,” with violence and fear. Whereas many of the digital stories were sobering and sad, this video made me cry because, unlike many other videos, there was no glimmer of hope at the end. No message of a brighter tomorrow. When asked where he would like to live, where he might feel safe, he said that he would have to name a place that is fake, for every place has its problems and the only place in which he could feel safe was in his imagination. And I cried. I cried for the young boy who has given up hope of a safe, happy childhood when he is still just a boy. I cried for the child who has experienced so much fear and violence that he does not believe in the possibility of a home in which he could be out of harm’s way.

This could be a great piece for students when learning about other’s perspectives and the difficulties that children around the world have to endure. This child lives in Denver, CO, not a community that one would commonly associate with violence and oppression. It would be an eye opener for many students who think that these conditions couldn’t exist in their own backyard.

So, as an educator, how would I attempt to assess this piece? As I said, this video was done by a child. His age is not revealed, but you can hear in his voice that he is still quite young. That said, it does state that he had help completing this project through workshops and a community group. Although the description states that he had support in taking the photographs, I’d like to believe that the verbal content of his story is his alone. As a teacher, you could assess this content. Listen for the elements of a good story. Did he create a strong beginning, middle, end? Did he create a hook to grab the audience’s attention? Was his word choice and the overall focus of the piece age appropriate? You could also assess on the visual content. Was the student able to insert the pictures? Did the video flow from image to image in a way that made sense and was pleasing to the eye? Assessing a digital story does not seem to be too different than assessing a story written with pencil and paper. The teacher needs to ensure that all elements of a solid story are still present in the digital format.