Using computer based tools and digital media to tell stories is a great way to expand literacy in the classroom. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) claim what we have all come to understand: that "the world [now] demands that a literate person possess and intentionally apply a wide range of skills, competencies, and dispositions" and that "active successful participants in a global society must be able to explore and engage critically, thoughtfully, and across a wide variety of inclusive texts and tools/modalities."

Brett Pierce, author of "Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling into Your Classroom," claims that with digital storytelling there is "a relatively vast range of tools with which to work in order to effectively communicate. And in that range, lies both it's complexity and wonder, it's challenge and it's opportunity." He further likens digital storytelling to painting, and that text, music/sound, and imagery are the primary colors, whereas voice/tone, mechanics, pacing, and genre are the secondary colors. It's a nuanced and complicated mode of communication, to be sure — and equally rewarding.

There are many things you need to consider before implementing digital stories into the classroom. Below, you'll find a guide to thinking through what it takes to have your students create digital stories for projects.

Considering Costs and Rewards

The advantages of implementing digital storytelling in the classroom are many. In a rapidly changing technological climate, the workplace environment and expectations are changing. The predictability of what our students will be asked to do in their careers is declining as change increases, we need to meet them there and digital storytelling offers a variety of skill practice. Digital storytelling can also be a more equitable and inclusive presentation experience for ESL learners or those who learn differently. Collaborative digital media projects can provide a variety of opportunities for diverse natural skill sets to shine, as there are a variety of ways to participate. Digital storytelling is social in nature and requires critical thinking around the rhetorical situation being presented, as students work through the audience/author/subject relationship and work critically through their own personal skillsets and balancing priorities and expectations. 

There are a few drawbacks that you must consider. One is the amount of classroom time you might need to yield to prioritize learning the technology and skills necessary to complete a digital story well. Digital storytelling projects can also require a lot of pre-planning and scaffolding, and additional support (CIP, LBIS) can be useful, especially with more comprehensive projects. Sometimes it is even necessary to implement iteratively, which means we might have to start smaller than we'd prefer and build on those successes in future iterations.

Priorities and Learning Outcomes

In order to successfully implement a digital storytelling project in the classroom, you must begin by weighing your priorities and learning outcomes. For example, if a high quality show piece is a high priority, you might need to have extensive class time devoted to learning the craft. If you're more concerned about content than quality, you might be able to get away with less class time. If you want to knit all your students pieces together to form a cohesive story or series, you will need to consider copyright instruction, hosting multimedia, and archiving. If you want to do group projects, you'll need to consult the CIP to get access to a collaborative video editor.

Exposure

You'll want to have an idea of what has been done before and learn from the experiences of your colleagues before getting started. Here are some places to look for projects that have been done in the classroom here at Kenyon and in the Ohio 5: 

You'll also want to provide digital stories or podcasts as course content if possible. Having them look at these as unique pieces of writing and discuss multimedia content will better prepare them for creating their own pieces. Giving them a lay of the land is important. 

Preparing Students (and You) for Success

  • Audience: You'll want to consider giving real-world weight to your storytelling projects by providing an audience for your students to create for. Maybe you want them to do PSAs for the general public, re-imagine densely scientific literature for a common audience, or create learning materials for a population of young children. Providing an audience will help your students make the mark. 
  • Scaffolding and Timeline: You'll also want to think about giving them exposure to the act of creating early so they can get comfortable with the technology and the experience of writing for sound (if that's a component). If interviews are a component, getting early practice with technology can be key for success. 
  • Ownership and Digital Sustainability: Think about the overall life span of this project and talk to the appropriate channels that can help you bring your vision to life (more about that below!). Does this project have a one-semester life span or do you want it to live on? Who will maintain it in the future? Who will own that content? Will authors have the ability to remove things later on if they wish? Creating the infrastructure to support your vision is a necessity in making sure the project is successful. 

It Takes a Village

You may just want to do a simple project with your students, or you may have a huge vision that includes a lot of moving parts (and people) or a wider reach than the confines of your classroom. Here are some institutional supports for bringing your digital storytelling hopes into reality: