Digital Storytelling....Not so much!

This week, we discussed digital storytelling and after numerous exposures, I can say that I am not a fan of creating the story board in order to complete the assignment. I must also add that I love the outcome. I know this sounds very odd but my main concern is the time involved in the technical aspect of creating the storyboard. If I were to enhance my social studies lessons with digital storytelling, I know the outcome would be great. Students would be highly motivated to learn about the upcoming lesson if shown as a prelude of what is to come. On the other side, if I were trying to instruct students as to how to create a storyboard to reiterate the lesson to them, I see it as being too time consuming and therefore distracting from the lesson.

After reading an article titled How Digital Storytelling builds 21st Century Skills, I can see the importance in building skills through the use of digital storyboards. Students will not only learn lesson content but also other requirements that will prepare them for future careers such as technology literacy, digital citizenship and collaboration. Several more benefits and requirements were listed for the students however, the above mentioned were amongst the top advantages. A concern of mine was the skill level of the teacher when it comes to using digital storyboards. Training is a very important element and teachers must prepare for this. Considering that teachers prepare and take the time to learn the software for using digital storytelling, I can easily see where all students and teachers can benefit from using this type of storytelling in the classroom, regardless of which subject they teach.

References

(2009). How Digital Storytelling Builds 21st Century Skills. Library Technology Reports, 45(7), 15-19. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.