I watch a lot of television. The funny thing is that compared to the
rest of my generation, 5 tv shows per week is actually quite minimal. However, the influence television has
had on my life is profound. When
watching a show like Modern Family, I have been able to relate to, and laugh at
some of the major issues that complicate family life today. When watching a show like Law and Order
SVU, I have been informed of many different laws in our government. The news gives me insight into
different historical events taking place around the world. Television can be considered a form of
digital storytelling, taking into account the three main examples of a
narrative, informative, and historical format for storytelling.
As
we know, most children watch an overwhelming amount of TV. Because they are exposed on a daily
basis, to some form of digital storytelling, it seems only logical that we
should utilize this technology to enhance and promote learning. As Robin’s article on the Educational uses of Digital Storytelling
explains, using digital storytelling “can generate interest, attention and
motivation for the "digital generation" students in today’s
classrooms.” It also seems
important to further develop our student’s abilities to function in the
technological world. Using digital
storytelling, we promote technological literacy.
As
Robin relates, there are some challenges when using digital storytelling as an
effective learning device. Taking
into account how time-consuming it is, a digital story may also be ineffective
if a child does not conduct proper research. Because this learning tool does promote technology, it might
be tempting for students to use other Internet sources such as music and images
to include in their story. In this
way, they may not produce their own work, and there might be intellectual
property issues. To combat these
challenges, it is important to sufficiently explain the parameters surrounding
a digital storytelling project. It
seems they should be used to enhance a topic or theme of study, rather than
independently teach that subject matter.
Furthermore,
as Blagojevi et. Al. explains, digital storytelling may also be used to promote
many different methods of expression.
For example, with a dual-language learner, using digital storytelling to
promote literacy will also allow the student to utilize his skills in visual
(artistic), and auditory (music) capacities to access subject matter. This seems like an invaluable tool for
all students, as we know that everyone has a different way of learning. Just as I tend to be more of an
auditory/verbal learner, my students might be more comfortable using visual
enhancements to help process of explain their thinking. In this way, digital storytelling not
only promotes technology usage, but also enhances all methods of learning in a
familiar fashion.
Rebecca Gotlib
No comments:
Post a Comment