Digital Storytelling

           Storytelling in one form or another has been part of being human since man drew on the walls of caves.  It is an ancient tradition that is still alive and well today although in decidedly different forms.  In the technological age telling your story is as common and simple as posting pictures of what you had for lunch on Snapchat or Instagram.   There’s even a component of both apps specifically for telling your “story”…digital storytelling at its most basic and personal. 

            What is also true about humanity is the drive to make our lives easier and better using the advances in science and technology.  You’ll find it in classrooms, libraries, community centers, museums, business of all kinds, and more.  Digital storytelling is being used by educators, librarians, and business people.  It is being used to “integrate technology into the classroom, support language learning, facilitate discussion, increase social presence, and more” (Robin, pg. 18).  The list of uses and the people who create them is long and growing. 

            Why is this medium so popular? Throughout the articles I read and the videos I watched I found a common thread, visual information evokes emotion.  We connect emotionally to the material and it sticks in our brains making it a useful tool to persuade, instill, and connect.  In Enter Here: Personal Narrative and Digital Storytelling Sara Kajder challenged her students who were from a diverse and socioeconomically challenged area to create a 3-5 minute personal narrative on a question of their choice.  Her students began to read as a way to relate their own personal experiences—“they were reading to relate, to understand, and to transform their understanding of texts” ( 65).  This is a personal connection to learning, and that is a powerful tool.

            

 An infographic that illustrates the effects of storytelling on the brain.

                                              Image courtesy of the Copy Collective

 

This short and fun Tedx Talk from Ashley Fell gives a great message about why storytelling is so powerful in the digital era.

Interested in trying out digital storytelling on your own?  Here is a recent article on storytelling platforms from Uncubed, Our 9 Favorite Multimedia Storytelling Platforms for 2018.

                                        

                                       

 Works Cited 

Sara B. Kajder. “Enter Here: Personal Narrative and Digital Storytelling.” The English Journal, vol. 93, no. 3, 2004, pp. 64–68. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4128811.

Robin, Bernard R. "The Power of Digital Storytelling to Support Teaching and Learning." Digital Education Review, no. 30, 01 Dec. 2016, pp. 17-29. EBSCOhost, login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1125504&site=ehost-live&scope=site.