Friday, April 20, 2018

Digital Storytelling in a Disconnected Age


When I first received the topic of digital storytelling, I thought about using computers and devices to connect stories to readers, much like a read aloud done on the computer.  While there is definitely a lot of potential  for this format of listening to a story, there is another, much more powerful manner of digital storytelling.  Digital storytelling is a way of telling a person’s story, giving a person a voice that others can hear, connect with and learn from in a community.

Storytelling has been the way of passing on information and entertaining people throughout the ages.  So it is no surprise that we are finding powerful ways to share our stories, even in these digitally diverse days.  Digital storytelling is going beyond a simple story or isolated event and finding ways to connect your voice with and for a community.  According to Troung-White and McLean (2015), “Digital storytelling is evolving as a potentially powerful innovation to support the aims of global citizenship education while meeting the demands of a digitally immersed student population (pg. 6).”  So the potential of digital storytelling is great, but what is it?

Here is a brief video of what digital storytelling is… and isn’t.
 



Digital storytelling has applications in the classroom, with the media, in libraries and communities, even marketers are taking note of the power of a well told story.  Here are some examples of digital storytelling.  Pick one or two and take a look!
http://inequality.is/
 
http://interactive.nfb.ca/#/pinepoint
 
http://bear71.nfb.ca/#/bear71
 
 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGJyrScH_hk


Digital storytelling is a diverse and powerful tool.  Librarians are looking into ways to use this tool within their sphere of influence.  With digital storytelling comes “a shift from libraries being a provider of materials to a facilitator for the creation of materials that come from users” (Balko, R., Chan, F., Henkenhaf, H., & Watkins, E., 2011). Digital storytelling has the ability to connect users in this increasingly disconnected era and to transform communities. 

References
Balko, R., Chan, F., Henkenhaf, H., & Watkins, E. (2011, August 12) Digital Storytelling for Communities. Retrieved from https://librarydigitalstorytelling.wordpress.com/what/

Truong-White, H., & McLean, L. (2015). Digital Storytelling for Transformative Global Citizenship Education. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne De L'éducation, 38(2), 1-28. doi:10.2307/canajeducrevucan.38.2.11

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