Telling the Story of Education

Since the beginning of civilization, storytelling, in its spoken or written form, has been a key means for people to communicate information to one another. And, just as storytelling served an important role as an important (if not informal) educational tool thousands of years ago, it still does today. While the so-called "art of storytelling" is ever-changing, its value and impact is not.
While we may not huddle around a campfire for orally-relayed tales and accounts of events as frequently as they once have, there certainly is no shortage of storytelling in the 21st century. In fact, it may be becoming even more frequent. The advent of social media and photo-sharing internet tools, coupled with new websites and technologies that allow even amateurs to produce their own mini-films and productions allows more individuals to creatively tell their own stories - and in ways that are more refined and reach wider audiences.

by  mollyjolly 

This method, using technology and the internet, is now commonly referred to as "digital storytelling." This article from educause.edu defines it more clearly as "combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video to create a short movie ... a set of slides with corresponding narration or music." With the tools currently available and continually in development for this form of sharing of creativity, it is impossible to limit the number of ways in which digital storytelling can be used for entertainment, cultural enrichment, communication, and yes, even education.
For some fields, such as media arts and communication, the role of digital storytelling in the educational process may be fairly obvious. In the modern media production industry, both small and large-scale, skills in using various computer software and an array of online tools are not just new trends, but a virtual necessity. In fact, many schools of higher education across the United States are recognizing this and incorporating digital storytelling into their curriculum.  Again, educause.edu sheds some light on this topic, citing the growing number of institutions including digital storytelling in their coursework. For example, the University of Houston, Carleton College, Maricopa Community Colleges, and Ball State University all offer programs with specialization in digital storytelling, according to the article. This outlines the growing importance in preparing individuals in how to use digital storytelling both for personal growth and professionally as an artist of sorts.

  by  digistorytellin

But what if you are already a professional, a teacher perhaps? More specifically, an ESL or foreign language teacher? Well, there's a digital story to be told for that, too. On this webpage from the University of Houston you can find some concrete examples of how digital storytelling can be used in a language education context. The aforementioned webpage explains how a short video can be used to expand vocabulary by helping students make visual-sound associations with new L2 terms. Expanding on that, it's not hard to imagine having your students use digital storytelling to work on their composition skills such as verb tenses and various grammatical and syntactical rules for the target language.
With students both composing their own and experiencing those of their fellow students, digital stories can serve as a catalyst for the sharing of personally meaningful narratives that keep the "producer"/ student interested and engaged and learning all the while.