Digital storytelling is the act of telling a story with the use of technology. In some cases this can be a simple recording of someone telling a story, or it can be as complex as a movie or animation. In the Edutopia article Film School:Making Movies from Storyboard to Screen, Jennifer New explains how two teachers at two different schools in Illinois come together to teach students the art of filmmaking in their multimedia and film design class.
Some insights that I gained by reading this article is that storytelling isn’t limited to just oral and textual stories. Storytelling can be seen in animation, as well as TV shows and movies. I also was 
under the misconception that digital storytelling was a new concept, but if you think about it, movies and radios have been around in various forms since the 1920’s. Digital storytelling is not a new concept, but has only been utilized in the classroom more recently. Which is an interesting development because our educational system is changing where students are producing content rather than absorbing it. Which is why this seems like a new concept, although it really is not.
This insight has really expanded my definition of digital storytelling, to include all forms of media that incorporate storytelling. If you think about it, we are exposed to digital storytelling all the time. From the stories you listen to on the radio, to the news and TV shows and movies. It’s really not something you can escape. Since we are exposed to storytelling, this really should be a concept that is taught to students so they can effectively evaluate and produce digital stories.
After reading this article, I am curious on how I can incorporate animation or filmmaking into my STEM class. I would say both animation and filmmaking fall under technology of the STEM acronym, but my curriculum is pretty set and doesn’t seem to allow for introduction of new units. This means I would have to incorporate it into a current unit of study. Students will be learning about the various forms of energy within the next few months, so I could have them create an animation or a video that “sells” that form of energy. This would allow students to create a script and storyboard which could follow the engineering design process. I think this is a possibility for this unit and would make it very engaging for my students.
Learning with Digital Stories 
Hello Heather,
I totally agree with you that our educational system is changing and that students nowadays are producing content rather than absorbing it. Therefore I think that with all the new technology we find in our schools and our classrooms (Smart boards, promethean boards, mobile labs, etc.) the use of digital storytelling as a learning tool should be encouraged. Like yourself, my definition of digital storytelling has been expanded to include all forms of mediated storytelling after reading your response.
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Heather,
Thanks for sharing this article. I love the idea you brought up that digital storytelling really is not a new phenomena. In fact, storytelling has been around for as long as man has been able to communicate. Long before writing, people shared oral stories as a way to impart knowledge, remember history, shape morals and behavior, and more. It’s wonderful that we have these new platforms we can use to tell our stories and reach much larger audiences. I hope you find creative ways to incorporate storytelling in your classroom!
Karen
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Heather,
I think having your students make short films to “sell” the form of energy that they study is a great idea. Like you said, this generation produces just as much content as it absorbs. The educational system will, indeed need to change to keep pace. Many teachers will also need to switch from the “teacher-centered” style of instruction that they currently employ to a more inquiry or “student-centered” mode of instruction. it will be interesting to see how all of this plays out.
-Andrew
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Moving towards creating rather than replicating is critical. I was challenged a few years ago to really consider my definition of “create.” In many cases, we assume that because our students are making something, like a diorama, that they’ve created. However, there was hardly any new learning gained by students in its creation outside of some artistic skills. So instead of relating creating with making, I’ve had to consider creating more aligned to innovating or inventing. I think digital stories are a great way for our students to develop their true creation skills because of the critical thinking that goes into making them.
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Hello Heather,
I agree with your statement that digital storytelling is everywhere! So why not incorporate it into our workplaces and classrooms more often?
I think you would have enjoyed the article review I wrote up this week. It included a study about the many proven ways that digital stories can improve the learning environment. According to their studies, almost half of the respondents stated that digital storytelling allows students to improve their understanding of subject area knowledge, writing skills, technical skills, and presentation skills. Digital storytelling also inspires reflection, which helps students comprehend as well.
Thank you for sharing!
-Kendra
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