I can see many uses for digital storytelling in my classroom, as I teach literacy – a subject focused on reading and stories. One of the biggest uses I can see is for a new version of a book report. Students could tell the basic story of a book they read in this new digital format, adding appropriate images and audio to make others also want to read the book. A twist on the book report could be students creating a digital story that shared the same theme as the book they read.
Literacy in my school is content-area based, so as a literacy teacher I teach reading strategies through all curricular areas. Because of this, I could easily incorporate digital stories into other curricular areas as well. Currently, students do postcards from the anti-slavery movement and from the revolutionary war era and a mini-project based on the travels of Lewis and Clark. Any of these could be made into a digital story.
Next year, I will be the library media specialist at my school. I can see easily the areas in which digital storytelling can be used. For instance, the 6th grade takes an overnight trip to Camp Whitcomb, and digital storytelling could be used as a way to introduce the students to the trip, as a getting-to-know-you activity at camp, or as a culminating project after the trip to reflect on their experience. I could see most teachers utilizing this technique, for purposes as varied as composer projects, health projects, and explorer and scientist projects…many more, too!
