Digital Storytelling Reflection

I had a lot of fun creating my digital story. This is the kind of thing I would do for fun, if I ever had a spare moment. This assignment gave me a very, very basic knowledge of iMovie and Garage Band, but I do think I could get comfortable with those programs with more experience. I’m still somewhat unsure how to create digital stories that communicate messages that are so important that they are worth the amount of time it requires to build a digital presentation. If I create a story on a single literary movement, author, or convention, I don’t think I would use it enough to warrant the effort it takes to create it.

This process does seem like a great way to get the kids to express themselves. I can definitely see myself giving the students an assignment to make a digital story of their own. I couldn’t do that if I didn’t have the skills to make one myself. I also would like to teach a class on writing scripts and filming movies. I know I could piece together a short film with these tools.

I can see how using digital stories and having the students create their own accomplishes the INTASC standard of adding instructional variety. I’m grateful for any new tools that help me achieve the NETS goals of facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity. If I show the students how to create a digital story I add to the development of digital-age learning experiences and assessments and by showing the students my story I am modeling digital-age work and learning. I don’t think this tool is a huge leap forward in these areas, but it is a good step in the right direction.

I’m pretty happy with the digital story I created. The audio isn’t a good quality, and I would like to go back and fix that. I do think it teaches a concept that is applicable to a wide range of classes and students, so it is more than a one time-use material. I really did like the process and the creativity it required.

I would like to know how to encourage students to create projects that are deeply reflective. This would help with the goal of creating developmental knowledge. I tend to rely on writing as the main expression of a student’s inner thoughts, but it would be meaningful if they could use technology, a format most kids enjoy more, to help them with their identity versus role confusion stage. I need to ask the students to brainstorm how they can express an idea that is meaningful through digital storytelling. I suspect that they will have some great ideas.

I do need to get more comfortable with this skill so I better model the use this technology. I strongly suspect that I’ll forget the details of both the programs I used if I don’t build on what I’ve learned. There are instructional videos I can watch and experts I can talk to. I can’t let myself learn a little and then feel I can stop there. This project should be based on a mastery goal, not a performance goal.