Students can learn a variety
of digital and personal skills through digital storytelling. I would apply
digital storytelling in my own teaching practice in order to inform students
about the importance of social justice issues allowing school to become
relevant towards real life situations. Concepts related to digital storytelling
such as copyright, access to resources, and online collaboration are useful
skills for students to learn in today’s society. Digital storytelling should be
taught in just about every classroom.
Digital storytelling could be
applied to my own teaching practice in a variety of ways. Informing students
about social justice issues is one specific way to apply digital storytelling
in a classroom. There is a wide range of social justice topics that students
could choose from and explore that issue within digital storytelling. A few
social justice topics that could be analyzed include bullying, gender related
issues, global warming, animal rights, and the list could go on. By choosing to
portray the social justice issue in the form of a digital story, it examines
and relays an important message to other students informing them that everyone
has a story to tell where they can discuss their experiences and ideas in a
safe environment (Prairienet, 2011). Students will be able to learn a lot
through this hands on approach and understand the topic more clearly, thus
eliminating ignorance and learning about real situations going on in the world.
This also promotes using oral and printing literacy skills in a fun manner for
students because they need to use those skills in order to brainstorm ideas,
create a script, and orally communicate their message in their video (Literacy
and Numeracy Secretariat & Ontario Association of Deans of Education, 2012,
p. 4). Social justice topics could also go with the theme that the class may be
discussing during that time, which allows students to indulge in the work and
become motivated to learn. When students are motivated, research shows that
they generate real feelings of excitement for learning, which means that the
learning actually took place and was essential towards their lives (Literacy
and Numeracy Secretariat & Ontario Association of Deans of Education, 2012,
p. 2). This is also known as authentic tasks where students can see their work
of digital storytelling completed in class actually come to life and is
therefore seen as useful.
Not
only is implementing digital storytelling in the classroom useful in regular
lessons, but several concepts related to digital storytelling can actually
enhance student learning about digital literacies and digital citizenship. Students
quickly learn through digital storytelling what is appropriate to share and
what isn’t. The concept of learning about appropriateness of what to post in
their digital storytelling easily leads into students thinking about what they
are posting on their other social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram and
whether their posts are appropriate. When it comes to knowing what is
appropriate to post on social media sites, students are subconsciously learning
about Internet safety and becoming better digital citizens. There is a wide
spectrum of inappropriate stuff students can post on social media sites and
they can involve very dangerous situations such as cyber bullying, posting inappropriate
photos, or even copyright infringement when gathering resources. In order to
create a digital story, “[s[tudents gather and locate materials from books,
websites, find images, and listen to speeches...” (Prairienet, 2011). Students
will essentially learn about accessing resources as well as the importance of
giving the initial owner credit of their work. There are consequences to one’s
actions in life, and it is valuable for students to learn this early on through
digital storytelling. Digital storytelling also promotes digital literacy
because students are using the tools and mechanisms such as applications or web
2.0 tools to physically create their video. It allows students to understand
and learn the usefulness of web 2.0 that it provides a place for collaboration
and sharing of ideas and virtually anyone can do it (Holland, 2016). Students
are learning more about the Internet and how to use and access it within a safe
environment in the classroom as well as learning through doing. Students are
mastering new skills that they can take with them in a real world setting.
During
my next placement, I really hope that I get the opportunity to integrate more
technology into the classroom. Digital storytelling is definitely an activity
that I would like to share with my students if not in my upcoming placement,
then in my actual classroom one day. I hope to give students the opportunity to
learn about digital skills so they know what it means to have digital literacy
as well as become a digital citizen. Incorporating digital storytelling gives
students these skills as it could be used to teach them about social justice
issues, copyright, how to access resources, and knowing what is appropriate
behaviour online. It is great that students get these opportunities today so that
they are able to enhance their skills further in the future.
References
Holland,
J. (2016). Web 2.0 Tools for Educators. Wikispaces. Retrieved from
Literacy
and Numeracy Secretariat & Ontario Association of Deans of Education.
(2012).
What Works? Research Into
Practice. Student Achievement Division. Retrieved fromhttps://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_StudentFilmakers.pdf
Prairienet.
(2011). Digital Storytelling In the Classroom. Community Informatics
Initiative. Retrieved from
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