The new technologies available in today’s schools provide opportunities for new projects like digital storytelling. However, when I first started thinking about this topic, I was drawn to a project my sister did in the late 1970s that was an early version of a digital story. She created a slideshow that illustrated the song “Where do the Children Play?” by Cat Stevens. She went through hundreds of my family’s slides and found pictures that depicted the words in the song, sequenced them, and manually advanced the slides on the slide projector while playing the song on the record player. Same idea, right? Of course today we would search the internet for images, video, and music to download or save on our computer. We then combine them with text and personal narration and create a digital story using software such as Moviemaker or Photostory 3.
Karen Diaz and Anne Fields cover the subject of digital storytelling very thoroughly in our text, Library 2.0 and Beyond. Especially helpful is the section identifying the elements of digital storytelling. The University of Houston’s Digital Storytelling website provides even more useful information as it offers examples, essential information and tips, and ideas for using digital storytelling in the classroom. Digital storytelling can be used by K-12 teachers as a hook at the beginning of a lesson, during a lesson to present information, or as a way to “pull it all together” at the end of a unit. Just from what I’ve read for this assignment, I think that using digital storytelling as student projects is more appropriate for older elementary, middle, and high school student as it helps student develop technology skills, verbal storytelling skills, information literacy skills through research, and writing skills. Of course, with more experience and training, I might think differently. I just don’t see the seven elements of digital storytelling being understood by younger children. Although I am still struggling through the digital storytelling assignment for our MEDT class, I look forward to seeing the many finished products at the end. Training or staff development for digital storytelling would be time well spent for teachers. The media specialist also needs be knowledgeable and willing to collaborate with teachers and use this tool with students.
Ebooks is a hot topic among librarians, media specialists, publishers, and book lovers in general. The big question is, “Will ebooks take the place of printed books?” Many people will say that the printed text will become a thing of the past and therefore libraries will not exist. I’m not sure I agree. There will always be people who prefer the printed book and not everyone can afford the tools needed for using ebooks. Although picture books and YA fiction ebooks are not available or used in most schools, encyclopedias and other reference materials are available online in ebook format. Many of the textbooks are also available in ebook format but a password is needed for student’s to access them.
Our media specialist shared information with me from the recent district media specialist meeting on the topic of ebooks. The technology department is currently researching the mobile devices such as Kindle, Ipad, Nook, etc. that are used to read ebooks. Some of the schools are purchasing these devices and using them with success. At this time our school does not have ebooks except the reference materials that are available online through the county or in GALILEO. Our media specialist is considering ordering through Titlewave some ebook versions of the middle school titles that are part of the reading curriculum for teacher use. These stories can be projected on the Smartboard and incorporated into lessons. Our media specialist commented that the biggest issue is the limited number of titles available for purchase from Follett.
For now I believe that the cost of the devices for reading ebooks may keep them out of our schools. However, technology is no longer a thing of the past, so ebooks may become more of the norm in the near future.
I agree with you, that digital storytelling combines several essential elements for more contemporary and effective reporting by students. We live in the digital age, so it follows that students will work well within the digital environment, including using the programs necessary to create a digital story, as well as navigating through digital research resources. My assumption would be that students would need less instruction/help using the tools for making the story/slideshow/movie, but would need significant help using dependable digital research resources, as their first inclination will be to Google (Google is now officially a verb?) for the answer to any question and accept what is found as fact. Using multi-sensory resources makes for a more well-rounded immersion into the materials available on a particular topic, making it more likely something will "hook" the student and promote more authentic learning, due to exposure to sound, picture, and movie clip resources, in addition to more traditional text resources. Gives book reports and group projects new life, and gives us opportunities to educate as to emerging technologies along the way, and don't forget the ongoing opportunities to teach research/information literacy skills in connection with the digi-storytelling.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of digital storytelling. The students in schools today are so accustomed to television and computer stimulation that the teacher often has to compete with these electronics. Often the teacher is fighting a losing battle. The use of a digital storytelling project would grab the students attention and they may even learn something. So far as the students creating these projects I think that the projects should be left to the older kids. Many younger students do not have the skills necessary to complete these projects without substantial help from an adult. I think we should introduce them to the technology by allowing them to view projects, but they need a little more experience before handling the project.
ReplyDeleteI am one of those people who will always prefer the book to be on paper. I can read the text electronically but the length of time that I am able to read is far shorter with an ebook. I like the idea of reference books being in an ebook format because it makes research easier. That search feature is a really helpful button. I see the popularity of the digital book growing but I don't think that libraries will become obsolete. I agree that the price of these readers will be the main factor that keeps them out of the school library at this time. As the popularity increases and the price begins to decrease we may see more ebooks find their way into the library.
I think digital storytelling is a great tool for learning. I would love to spend time in a classroom where younger students are creating digital stories. I'm a visual learner and would gain a deeper understanding of the steps necessary and tips for successfully working with younger students in this endeavor. It's easy to see the evolution of technology when you're over fifty. Ideas for changes in technology come from people like your sister Linda. I would love to see your sister's slide show of Cat Stevens' "Where do the Children Play." Maybe it should now be made into a current digital story!
ReplyDeleteLately I've had a problem with students taking care of books. They have been leaving them on the playground, bus, and dropped in the street. This makes me wonder what it would be like to send home an ebook with students. I guess Kindle and Nook will become less expensive with time and that will be the beginning of more ebooks in the media center.
As I have been reading these posts and discussions about ereaders, I think we are really in a transitional time. There are still plenty of us digital immigrants who learned to love print books as kids and will never give them up, even if we embrace their techno replacements. The students we teach are still familiar and comfortable with print books, too, but as digital natives, their acceptance and comfort with electronic alternatives likely exceeds ours. I imagine that, over time, these digital choices will become more and more popular, and more readily available (cheaper--the Kindle price has dropped significantly), and students in the future may grow up with ereaders as more of a norm than an exception. We may live to see the day, or it may happen after we return to the dust from which we came. At any rate, we must embrace the technology of the moment, while looking ahead and doing our best to prepare ourselves--more importantly, our students--for the increasingly technological future that is looming ever nearer!!!
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