The university of Houston has an excellent website about
digital storytelling, check it out here.
Digital Storytelling is the art of using computer tools to
tell a story. These stories will contain
a variety of audio, text, visuals, and video clips to enhance the story. If done well, this form of storytelling can
be especially effective in elementary classrooms. If funding for field trips is scarce, digital
storytelling can be a way to take the class on a virtual field trip. It could also be a field trip to a place that
the students might not ever have the chance to go and experience, such as
international field trips or tours of outer space! A digital story could also demonstrate a
procedure the students need to be familiar with, such as proper hand washing,
or lab procedures; procedures that can be difficult to show the whole class at
once. The possibilities for digital
stories are limitless.
The website suggests that most digital stories for
educational purposes range from 2 to 10 minutes. This is probably a good general rule, making
one longer than 10 minutes would be terribly time consuming.
For higher grades and higher functioning classes, it might
even be an exciting assignment to give groups of students. This would accomplish a demonstration of
material they’ve learned, as well as experience with technology, which is
especially important now.
I recommend checking out The University of Houston’s website
for more information and How To of digital storytelling.
