Blog post

It is evident that in current times the growing rise of technology has changed the way society lives and operates. This is also applicable to the education field. Howell (2012) writes that throwing a computer and some software into a classroom does not make learning effective; instead teachers need to develop a digital pedagogy by gaining understandings of relevant learning theories and learning to choose appropriate technologies for effective learning outcomes. This post further looks into a framework designed to help teachers achieve this digital pedagogy and then discusses the use of digital storytelling in the classroom and how I believe it is a beneficial tool for all teachers to encompass.

Although I am an advocate for the use of technology in modern classrooms, I understand that there are some complexities associated with the concept. Hague & Williamson (2009) state that the challenges in schools are often regarding the quantity, quality and use of technology and that due to the rate of technological change, the technology available in schools can often quickly become outdated. Therefore, it is important that teachers are provided with a supportive framework to foster their growth as a teacher in this modern digital age. Robin (2008) details the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) framework that focuses on the relationship between pedagogy, content and technology. It allows for teachers to identify the content they are required to teach as well as the pedagogical methods they will use and then link to the available components and capabilities of technology available to create a versatile teaching approach. This framework allows teachers to critically think about technology in a creative way to produce new forms of student work, such as digital storytelling.

Digital storytelling is a product of Web 2.0 due to its high levels of interactivity and user control and contribution (Robin, 2008). It is a modernised version of storytelling as it combines the traditional elements of creating stories (such as choosing a topic and writing a script) with a variety of new multimedia to produce an interactive and engaging story (Robin, 2008). As many schools now supply a range of accessible multimedia and software programs, I believe digital storytelling is an excellent resource for all teachers; including those who are still developing their digital pedagogy. I have previously expressed my opinion that I believe students should be given opportunities to direct their own learning and because of the essence of digital stories, this is another ICT tool that I believe allows for student centred learning. As well as this, Robin (2008) also details that teachers can use digital storytelling as an engaging tool to ‘hook’ students into new content or concepts they will be learning. I believe this is essential to maintaining motivation in the classroom and that it accentuates the digital skills that nearly all students have acquired in current times. The versatility of applying digital storytelling to all different subjects is also an advantage and is explicitly important for primary school teachers as we are required to teach across most subject areas. Therefore, digital storytelling provides us with an innovative way to teach new concepts whilst maintaining the ICT requirements of the curriculum.

I believe that digital storytelling is a wonderful way for teachers to begin to develop their digital pedagogy and designate more student based learning in their classroom. It is important for teachers to still provide some instruction and guidelines however the individuality that digital stories allow the user to express also provides teachers with clearer understandings and perceptions of the knowledge their students are consuming.

References:

Hague, C., & Williamson, B. (2009). Digital participation, digital literacy and school subjects: A review of the policies, literature and evidence. Retrieved from Futurelab: https://www.futurelab.org.uk/projects/digital-participation

Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: Digital pedagogies for collaboration and creativity. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Robin, B. (2008). Digital storytelling: A powerful technology tool for the 21st century classroom. Theory into Practice, 220-228.