…there was a world where stories were only told by word of mouth. Parents would pass on stories from their childhood to their children and the tradition continued. Eventually, books were created and stories could now make their way around the world to just about anyone. With the creation of the computers, software, and the internet storytelling began to take a new digital form. Digital storytelling allows for stories to be told using video, sound, graphics, or any other type of digital element. While digital storytelling is something that is relatively new to many people, it is an extremely effective tool for the classroom. Don’t know what to do with the kid who won’t talk in class? What about the kid who had problems at home? The student who is so afraid to talk in front of the class that they refuse to? All of these problems can be solved with digital storytelling. This type of storytelling allows students to tell someone just about anything they want by creating a movie, PowerPoint, or Photo Story (this is a very small list of the available software that can be used).
Throughout my reading this week in Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, I learned not only about a wide variety of media that can be included in the class, but also digital media authoring software. Digital media authoring software is a broad term that includes any type of software that can be used to create presentations for the computer. So, creating a digital story goes hand in hand with any digital media authoring software.
Hmmm…so what do I do with all this new information? Create a digital story using PowerPoint! I created a small slide show that just covers the basics of digital storytelling. Using SlideShare, I was able to embed the video into my blog. As for how I could grow with my use of digital storytelling, I would like to become more comfortable with it and be able to add sound, music, or voice over. Also, I would love to try to get my future students to use the idea of digital storytelling as a way for me to get to know them better.
Below is my SlideShare... :)
Slide share look every similar to PowerPoint. I remember making PowerPoint presentations in school and always felt as though when I saw others present that they would almost read right from the slides. I am wondering if this would be a similar problem with Slide Share in the sense that the audience could essentially just read the presentation to get what the presenter is trying to say. Do you feel the same? What do you feel the differences are between them? Which one do you think is easier to use? I guess it is all about the way you use the program and how you actually present. Did you get a chance to look at Prezi? When compared, you could essentially give the same information, but with extra highlights and movements that I feel would make presentations more interesting and essentially keep me more focused. How would you use Slide Share in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. I used Prezi to share my view of digital storytelling instead of Slide share. Slide share to me was very similar to PowerPoint. Do you use PowerPoint often? I do, and that is why I chose Prezi. Your digital storytelling slide show was very good, however, I feel that by using a Prezi to share your views would help engage your students. The movements and images would help keep student attention.
ReplyDeleteI like how you stated that those students who are afraid of speaking in front of the class could use programs like these to voice their opinions. I agree with your comment. I am trying to think of how my students can use programs like Prezi to present topics in a new, fun way!
You wrote, "Don’t know what to do with the kid who won’t talk in class? What about the kid who had problems at home? The student who is so afraid to talk in front of the class that they refuse to? All of these problems can be solved with digital storytelling."
ReplyDeleteI have never thought of this application of digital storytelling. I also have these students, but I hadn't considered that technology might be a way to get them out of their shell. I guess having the computer as a crutch allows them to get their ideas out in the open far better than a verbal conversation in their case.
You said, "Also, I would love to try to get my future students to use the idea of digital storytelling as a way for me to get to know them better."
Do I detect a Me Story? :-)
All kidding aside, having students tell their own story, something they are intimately familiar with, is a useful tool to not only get to know them but to assess their skills and knowledge in terms of technology.
Thanks for your post!
Kelley
Hi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed how you opened your post and set the stage for your presentation. It sounds like you have some good ideas for how to use digital storytelling with your students. You mentioned two very good programs for creating digital stories. PowerPoint and Photo Story are fairly easy to use and teach students to use. I was very happy when we were introduced to Prezi as another program for creating presentations and digital stories.
You were correct when you said “creating a digital story goes hand in hand with any digital media authoring software.” Like you, I created a PowerPoint presentation and uploaded it into SlideShare so I could embed my presentation in my blog post about digital storytelling. I really wanted to create my presentation with Prezi, but I wasn’t able to learn how to use it quickly enough before our assignment was due. I thoroughly plan to revisit Prezi so I can actually learn how to use it to create presentations in the future.
As you, I would like to “grow with my use of digital storytelling” and I look forward to using new programs such as Prezi with students to create digital presentations. You created a good presentation on using digital storytelling and I enjoyed viewing it. Embedding the SlideShare presentations wasn’t difficult was it? I think it would be easy for students to do as well.
Thanks for sharing.
:-) Ruth
Autumn-
ReplyDeleteYou asked a lot of great questions! Actually, yes I use PowerPoint a lot. I am not currently teaching but when I was (and also in my internship) I used it frequently. When I used it during internship it was a little more fun though because I imported all my PowerPoints into software for an interactive whiteboard. So, all the PowerPoints were then interactive.
I like Prezi also and think its a great tool, but it was making me too dizzy when I was using it.
I think that Slide Share is a lot like a PowerPoint but it gives you a way to embed it into a webpage rather than upload a file.
If I were to use slideshare in the classroom I would use it for my classroom site so that the students could easily access PowerPoints I have made. Also, I could use it to load student made PowerPoints to the classrooms site so they could share it with their families at home.
I try to make the PowerPoints interactive by not just putting up info and having kids read it, but rather putting up key points followed by examples. For instance, in math I will give them key words, one example of the problems we are working with, then several problems that they have to solve. Then, I can have them come up to the board and show me how they solved it. This way, they are not just reading endless information. I also like to include embedded sounds and videos for the kids to view. I think it should be used to enhance the lesson, not just dictate it to the class. :)
-Catherine