Digital Storytelling with Education

     Digital storytelling contains a specific topic and viewpoint as traditional story which allows every people to share their view or aspects in life. According to "Center for Digital Storytelling,", it is more like a manner that one uses "first-person video narrative to record document, experiences or ideas in the manner of story-telling through digital media." Usually, It is made as a video combining with images, recorded-audio narration, music or video clips. As "Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling" suggests, the length of digital storytelling is various while it basically "lasts two-ten minutes when being used in education."
     I think digital storytelling is an ideal manner for reading class, especially for some literary texts such as novels or plays written in target language because it definitely will improve students' understanding to those readings. At the beginning of the class, I may record a short introduction about the background of text we are going to read. Since every literary text or story comes with certain cultural backgrounds and age, it is also important for students to understand this prior reading the text. Introducing these background knowledge as telling a story with some sounds and video clips can be more appealing. Also, student's memory about those information that I plan to present will be more strengthened. After reading and discussing the materials, I think it is also a good way to let students watch another storytelling video which is made with the content of the text we just covered. In this way, students will review the story again. Further, it also serves like a clarification that solves students problems or confusion. The reviewing video can be played in class if the class time is sufficient or can be uploaded to the class blog so that every student can watch the video again and again if they need.

Photo by BryanAlexander