Digital Storytelling is a versatile piece of technology with many different applications to engage students in diverse learning experiences. For elementary school students, digital storytelling could be used to address three specific writing needs:
1) Autobiography - I believe that one of the hardest things to write about is yourself. When incorporating digital storytelling into student-created autobiographies, students have the opportunity to not only write autobiographical pieces but also to make their writing come alive with images and audio. Students of any age (yes, even Kindergarten) could participate in digital storytelling. It could even be as simple as having each student write and record their favorite thing about school, pairing it with student-taken photos of their classmates, and combining everything together for a touching back-to-school night presentation.
2) Biography - Many students think that writing a biographical paper or creating a biographical paper immediately equals BORING. With digital storytelling, any biographical assignment is enlivened and enriched. When students are researching historical figures, they can include images of important documents, photographs, and, when possible, even videos of the people they are writing about. I can imagine a grandparent project where students are asked to interview older relatives about what life was like when they were younger. Paired with familiar family photos, nostalgic music, and audio clips of both generations' voices, a grandparent digital story would become a very touching family heirloom while also meeting standards of learning.
3) Fiction - When teachers ask elementary school students about stories that they know, some of the most popular answers are the stories that have been translated into movie format (think Disney). While most of these fairytales originated in print, the images and songs create impressions with children because they expand on their already rich imaginations. When students have their own opportunities to write creatively, they should also have the abilities to explore their creativity by adding images and music to the original words. From adding student photography to student composed music, the possibilities are truly endless.
Even though my suggested incorporations support language arts standards, digital storytelling may be used across the curriculum. I look forward to creating my own digital stories and assisting my students with their creations.
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