“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
― Philip Pullman
The roots of storytelling are ancient and its impact upon our historical knowledge are invaluable. Even today story is very much an important part of our culture. When was the last time you heard students share something about a great experience or story they heard? When was the last time you heard them talk about that lesson in science? Students can’t wait to share the latest story with their friends but are less enthusiastic about what is happening in school (visions of the common “what did you do in school today?” “Nothing.” conversation come to mind.) With this awareness, teachers should be thinking about using the art of story to help engage their students in the content they are teaching.
The internet and web based tools have provided teachers with opportunities to develop new literacy skills and have students involved in meaning-making on a whole new level. Levine (2008) highlights how wikis and blogs make it easier to share on the internet than traditional websites and that allows more people to be active contributors in this new social context.
It is important for teachers new to this technology to embrace it. Jason Ohler (2009) and Brenda Dyck (2005) provide examples of how digital storytelling can integrate a variety of skills that can develop core literacy competencies and allow for students to make personal connections. Ohler (2009) emphasizes the importance of the DAOW (Digital, Art, Oral, Written) processes involved in telling a good story. Dyck (2005) discusses how using tools such as Google Lit trips or Community Walk can add a placed-based dimension to stories and make them more real for students.
Storytelling has been an active part of my teaching for a number of years. I would like to take the time to explore further with the digital component. My grade 1-2 class has created power points where they have shared research information they have gathered. We have written and published numerous stories in the traditional format. I am intrigued at the idea of combining the processes but will need to explore more on the adding voice and sound effects components that can be added. We are moving to laptops in the classroom which will help the process. If anyone has ideas on easy to use tools please share and comment.
References:
Dyck, B. (2005) Using place-based storytelling to teach geographical thinking. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/dyck/dyck018.shtml
Lockett, M. (2007) History of Storytelling. Retrieved from http://www.mikelockett.com/downloads/History%20of%20Storytelling.pdf
Ohler, J. ( 2009) Storytelling and new media narrative. Retrieved from http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling/storyeducation.cfm
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