Why incorporate digital texts and storytelling into your programs?

As Bjorgen (2010) mentions, the most important ‘why’ for incorporating digital texts and DSP into programs at a primary level is the potential for boundary crossing. The transference of cultural codes picked up during student leisure time into the classroom setting can improve student agency and improve the connections between students when used in a digital storytelling context.

The ‘why not’ of using DSP where it simply ticks a box for superficially assessing digital literacy alongside subject content (when another medium would be equally or more effective) is maybe the biggest issue I have seen this year as I stepped back into the classroom. Use DSP where there is a holistic benefit in doing so – for example, engaging an audience beyond the classroom.

What new tools or approaches have you discovered that are interesting and worthwhile trying for you?

The last time I was able to use digital storytelling software in the classroom was at least a decade ago – and to my utter shame, I cannot remember many of the tools we were mentored to use at all. I know Google Earth, PhotoStory, MovieMaker, PowToon, and Adobe Slate featured, as well as web-based graphic editing software, but this subject has functionally taken me back to the beginning in terms of putting my skills to use and broadening my scope. As per the example set by a former colleague (Bridget Pearce, Pedagogical Leader and Senior English Teacher at Brisbane Grammar School) who has begun the process of holistically using and assessing the effectiveness of synthesising AI tools in the K-12 space, I am most looking forward to exploring more basic tools without the worry of not being able to draw or otherwise create my own visual elements. I do recognise that the practitioner recommendation is not to use these and instead create one’s own graphics to avoid any copyright issues (Byrne, n.d.), so this is more as a goal for life post-ETL533. In the meantime, the (non-AI) sky’s the limit!

References

Bjørgen, A. (2010). Boundary crossing and learning identities – digital storytelling in primary schools. Seminar.net, 6(2), 161-178. https://doi.org/10.7577/seminar.2429

Byrne, R. (n.d.). Digital storytelling projects with comics: a free guide to digital storytelling. Classwork. https://classwork.com/digital-storytelling-with-comics-free/