Digital Storytelling is one of the computer-based tools that can be integrated into classroom. According to the article 7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling, the author defines it as "the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional component". Anyone can use it to record their lives and share with others. For students who want to create a digital story might need a recording device and microphone, hardware and software to manipulate images and video, or tools to take pictures and video. As for topics, students can choose the topic related to the subject he/she is learning or any he/she is interested in. Just as the article Education Uses of Digital Storytelling describes, "The topics that are used in Digital Storytelling range from personal tales to the recounting of historical events, from exploring life in one's own community to the search for life in other corners of the universe, and literally, everything in between". The purpose of making a digital story is to teach values and beliefs to others. When student is creating a digital story, not only can he/she express his/her emotions but also he/she go through a critical thinking process.
As a language teacher, I will ask my students to make their own digital story and each week ask one students to share his/her story with the whole class. Students' speaking skill as well as writing skill can be improved since the story needs to be organized well. More importantly, students learn how to assemble their collections in a way that can achieve a desired effect. I cannot agree more with the view presented in the article of 7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling which is "digital stories give students an opportunity to experiment with self-representation—telling a story that highlights specific characteristics or events—a key part of establishing their identity, a process that for many is an important aspect of the college years". In my opinion, this is what a college student should acquire through college studies.
I like your idea of having the students each present a story once a week. That way they can learn from each other as well as get to know each other. Of course, a rubric would be very helpful for such projects.
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