Running head: DIGITAL STORYTELLING WC

Digital Storytelling: Written Component

Codi Judd

LITR 630: 21st Century Literacies and Technology

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Digital Storytelling: Written Component

After creating a digital story, I see many benefits to how and why they should be used

in the classroom. I enjoyed making my digital story to be shared with my students to motivate

them to create their own story. I had to record my story multiple because I learned that it is

better to write your script then to just start recording. I think the students will really enjoy

creating a digital story to share their opinion, as well as using digital stories in many different

ways.

This lesson is meeting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) of W3.1, W3.6,

SL4.4, and SL4.5. The writing standards have the students write opinion pieces that are

supported with reasons. Ive asked the students to give 4 facts about their topic that support

their point of view. The other writing standard has students producing and publishing their

writing with technology and by interacting and collaborating with peers. Not all of the

student work on this assignment with be produced and published with technology because I

am giving them the choice of how they want to go through the writing process but they will

all be required to publish their piece via a digital story which will be uploaded to the internet.

Students will be required to peer edit before creating their stories. The speaking and listening

standards that are met are accomplished via the students digital story. A student will be

required to speak what they have written which is reporting on a topic, giving details and

should be understandable. They will be adding audio and digital files to their digital story,

which meets the last CCSS.

The Kentucky Teacher Standards (KTS) that lesson meets are 6.1, 6.2 and 6.5. The

lesson I have designed was created using technology. I created an example of a story map,

storyboard and a digital story all with technology, which the students will eventually create as

well. The students will be using the available technology in our classroom and school to

publish their opinion pieces by using movie making software and word processor. Some
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students will be given the accommodation of using the speech to text option when they are to

write the script for their opinion piece. This lesson also demonstrates ethical and legal use of

technology because students will be required to search the internet for information and

pictures, which they will have to cite their sources and already know how to determine if a

website is trustworthy by this point.

The International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) standards that are met

in this lesson are 1a, 2b, and 3c. The students will be applying what they know about a topic

and incorporating some new information, to generate a new product, a digital story. They will

also be communicating their ideas (the digital story) to multiple audiences because their

stories will be uploaded to YouTube and accessible via our class Wiki and Weebly sites.

Some students will have to locate new information for their opinion piece based on their

background knowledge, so those students will need to evaluate and select the sources that are

appropriate to their topic. All students will be required to use digital tools to create their

digital story and different software may be used depending if they are working on an iPad or

desktop.

This lesson also meets standards from the International Literacy Association (ILA).

Those standards are 2.2, 4.2, and 5.1. 2.2 is met in this lesson because varied instructional

approaches are used by allowing the students to choose how they want to go through the

writing process for their opinion piece, on the computer or on a worksheet. Once they have

written their scripts, they will be publishing their writing via a digital story rather than the

traditional way of using a document. Studies have shown how student motivation has been

increased when they are allowed to create a digital story, so 4.2 is being met because this

instructional practice should positively impact a student. The class environment will be a

writing workshop/ producing studio as students are using digital sources, as well as the

traditional print to produce and publish their opinion pieces.

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Prior to this class, I did not know about digital storytelling but now I can see the

extreme benefits of incorporating this tool in my classroom. As the demand for students to

possess skills to succeed in the 21st century, digital storytelling will be a way for educators to

enhance these skills. Robin (2008) explained digital storytelling as way for students to

creatively tell their stories by using the writing process to write their story and then share it

by creating a story with digital media, voice recordings and music. According to Tucker

(2006), he said that digital stories are a way to tell a story quickly by using digital tools most

classrooms already have and the stories can be impactful. Those with basic computer skills

are easily able to create a story, which makes me think that are students will be able to create

wonderful stories once they are shown how to use the software because they already have a

bank of knowledge on using computers. Research has show how using pictures along with

text increases a students level of comprehension so using digital storytelling is another way

to enhance student comprehension (Burmark, 2004). In addition to students creating their

own digital stories, teachers can create them to introduce a new concept to grab their

students attention.

Digital storytelling is away to incorporate the TPACK framework. When teachers use

digital storytelling, they are already using technology so why not use the teachers content

knowledge to teach a concept in a pedagogical way that motivates students. Hicks (2006)

recommended that using technology in a critical, creative, and responsible way would

utilize the TPACK model. When thinking pack to how I taught opinion pieces, I did not

incorporate the TPACK model because I was not a confident writing teacher so I was in the

praxis phase of my pedagogy. I did intertwine technology and content but not creatively.

Using digital stories to teach writing would have me using the TPACK model.
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References

Burmark, L. (2004). Visual presentations that prompt, flash & transform. Media and

Methods, 40 (6), 4-5.

Hicks, T. (2006). Expanding the conversation: A commentary toward revision of Swenson,

Rozema, Young, McGrail, and Whitin. Contemporary Issues in Technology and

Teacher Education, 6, 46-55.

Robin, B. R. (2008). Digital storytelling: A powerful technology tool for the 21st century

classroom. Theory Into Practice,47(3), 220-228. doi:10.1080/00405840802153916

Tucker, G. (2006). First person singular: The power of digital storytelling. Screen Education,

42, 54-58.