http://captura.llanogrande.org
The example in the article focused on a group of migrant high schoolers who created a digital story depicting the social problem of domestic violence against women. The article went on to describe how the students portrayed their topic through the use of a digital story. Without even watching the story, it was incredibly moving. Digital Storytelling allows for multiple forms of media and technology to intertwine in order to evict more emotion by capturing the audiences senses of sight and sound. By displaying pictures and words with background music or sound effects, the author(s) can elicit a specific response from their audeince in order to get the message or purpose of the story across. It was truly amazing to hear about the collaboration and thought process from the high schoolers regarding this project. Not only did they have to do the background research, but they also had to combine multiple elements of media that all encompassed the topic of domestic violence in order to tell their digital story. This is a great example of a way to incorporate digital storytelling in the classroom. By having students collaborate on social issues, they can discuss real-world matters with their peers and use their imagination and creativity to present a story to their classmates regarding a pressing issue through the use of pictures, video, audio clips and music.
The process of creating the story itself is such a learning opportunity for students. I think teachers would be silly not to take advantage of this incredible tool. Oftentimes, teachers worry about time (or lack of) for projects such as digital story telling. However, if teachers really educate themselves on the ins and outs of digital storytelling, they can be the top resource for their students, and be pro-active in the trouble-shooting process by telling them exactly what they need to know in order to create their own digital story. I found a prezi-presentation that links digital storytelling to the common core standards. Thus, there is no excuse to not incorporate digital storytelling in the classroom! Prezi on Digital Storytelling (with student examples)
Additionally, I found a great resource for digital storytelling, but it also had student examples that cover social issues just like the study in the article. It's mind-boggling to me what students are capable of through this media.
How could this project be modified for students at the elementary level?
Scott Nixon, A. (2009) Mediating social thought through digital storytelling. Pedagogies, 4(1), 63-76.
