Digital Storytelling - reaction

OK, I admit it. I got hung up at "teachertube.com" in the first article. I was compelled to check it out, and I ended up spending about two hours just watching videos and searching for things that would enhance my classes this week!

Then I got caught up on HotChalk.com, to which I now have a membership. I browsed around that site for a while, too. But ended up bookmarking it so that I can return to it when I have a little more time.

I actually did read on — eventually. But the mere fact that I got so caught up in the storytelling that I found on teachertube.com kind of proves the point of the lesson this week. People are more likely to learn new things when the storytelling approach is used.

I don't know anybody who isn't drawn in by a good story. I know I am. From a good book, to a TV show, to the children's story at church, everybody's ears perk up when they hear a story being told.

The technique is not new. Go back to the Bible and you'll see that the majority of the lessons it teaches are through stories of real people, doing real things. We can relate to that, so it grabs our interest. The Bible uses fiction, too. Jesus told stories in parable form in order to teach a spiritual lesson.

So, it's only logical that we, as 'savvy' educators, should use present-day technology to teach old truths, as well as newly discovered information. Thus, this class finds purpose in guiding us to find the best ways to impart that knowledge to our students.


How digital storytelling might benefit current/future students states that digital storytelling appears to more learning styles. There is a correlation in the fact that auditory, kinesthetic and visual learners all tend to learn better when given the opportunity to take part in digital storytelling.

Cheryl Diermyer, is a learning technology consultant with DoIT Academic Technology. “Digital storytelling forces you to decide what to say in the space of a brief video; there is an intensity there,” she says. “Someone suggested that it’s like poetry — that every part of it must support the theme.”

The following chart is her representation of how that story can be mapped out.


There are many different definitions of “Digital Storytelling,” but in general, they all revolve around the idea of combining the art of telling stories with a variety of digital multimedia, such as images, audio, and video.

There are many different types of digital stories, but it is possible to categorize the major types into the following three major groups:

1. Personal narratives - that contain accounts of significant incidents in one’s life;
2. Historical documentaries –that examine dramatic events that help us understand the past;
3. Stories designed to inform or instruct the viewer on a particular concept or practice.

Of the samples I found on our assignment list, I was somewhat disappointed to find so many stories that tended to be dark or sad. At www.storycenter.org I listened to one story after another that reminisced in a sad, melancholy fashion that left me feeling a little 'down' myself.

I would prefer to think that my students would benefit the most from this type of learning experience if they were to choose a light-hearted, even fun, subject that they could get excited about. There are way too many sad stories in this world for my liking.

In fact, I think I may just draw my students into this week's assignment to see if they could be part of my "digital storytelling." We'll see what comes of that!