Digital Storytelling: Technology that Supports Creativity and Production (#8)

Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing project-based learning. Washington, D.C.: International Society for Technology in Education.

Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Feldman, K. (2007, Spring). Once upon a time...digital storytelling brings new life to reading, writing, and more. Florida Gulf Coast University Pinnacle Magazine, 1(2), Retrieved from http://www.fgcu.edu/CRM/Files/Pinnacle_07_Spring.pdf

Meadows, D. (2008). The educational uses of digital storytelling. Retrieved from http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

Ohler, J. (2008). Digital storytelling in the classroom: new media pathways to literacy, learning, and creativity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Kajder, S. (2004). Enter here: personal narrative and digital storytelling. English Journal, 93(3), 64-68.


As I reflect on the readings cited above, I see a number of challenges to implementing a digital storytelling project with my elementary students. First, I work with the students within a general classroom setting. I would therefore be collaborating with a classroom teacher to gain access to the students I serve. In the best case, the classroom teacher and I would design and implement the project together. The issues surrounding professional collaboration are not specifically addressed in this week’s readings, but are my first challenge. I also have a lot to learn about the mechanics surrounding this type of project. I believe if I can develop an expertise in the technology, I will also become more attractive as a potential team member when collaborating. The project will then need to involve critical thinking skills to be meaningful for the students. However, the assessment and standards requirements need to be considered in the project design. It will be a challenge to design a summative assessment and formative assessments throughout the project that will be appropriate to the performance standards covered in the project’s design and also support the overall processes required to complete the project. Researchers “stress the benefits of assessment when it is used to adapt teaching to meet student needs (Krauss & Boss, 2007, p. 81)”. Throughout the project, adjustments may need to be made based on the demonstrated abilities of the students. In grades K-3 my district has implemented a standards –based report card. I am studying the various performance standards in 3rd grade and thinking of projects that may address multiple standards in a given grading period. With a strong project idea and the benefit of multiple standards-based assessments, I believe the classroom teacher will be more interested in collaborating with me on a digital storytelling project.