The Art of Digital Storytelling

 

 by  athos[hun] 

                                                         

 Creating stories digitally is a great way of expressing one's creativity.  Everything we see today can be recreated or enhance through digital means.  I recently saw an online photo that had been enhanced with digital coloring.  The effects made the Fall foliage of the trees seem brighter and almost surreal.  The ending result was an image super enhanced by the imagination and emotion of the photographer. 

The same can be said of digital storytelling.  It is "a short, first person video-narrative created by combining recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds".  Using digital storytelling can be entertaining and creative but it also involves an emotional component.  My digital stories often involve stories of my family.  I've included events and celebrations that have wonderful memories attached.  However, the ideas for creating digital stories are not limited to personal events.  One can create historical time lines and explore significant events in history through the use of digital storytelling.

Historical time lines can become more real and meaningful when enhanced with digital content.  Historical events such as September 11th, the Civil Rights Movement and the Challenger Space missions were captured by the University of Houston's Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling presentation.  These images combined with audio and sound go beyond the traditional television newscast.  According to the narrator, "in the school setting, students can create their own time machine".  What an incredible learning opportunity!  To be able to explore and/or create historical events through images, audio and narration.  This is a definite attraction for technically and non-technically inclined students. 

However, as with anything created online, there has to be education concerning copyright issues and trademarks.  "Students should be aware of obtaining permission for materials obtained from someone else.  And should also give proper credit to the author of those materials used".
It is also important to note, that students should be aware of what types of personal information is shared when creating digital stories.  The cautionary tale of what goes on the Internet, stays on the Internet forever rings very true in this aspect.
All in all, Digital Storytelling as a Web tool is an outstanding way in which students can learn and express their creative styles.