Week 5 Blog- Finalizing Story Planning Assignment

 

EDUC 5333- Week 5 Blog

The core of the digital story is developed, and there are a few modifications that will need to be done prior to the finale. I am currently at the six steps to producing a great digital story, commonly referred to as “Put It All Together” or “Compilation.” My preparation for week seven consists of analyzing the visuals for theme consistency and relevance, audio quality, voice intonation and sound effects suitability.  One of my main areas of concern is to accurately put all the media components together to produce a high-quality digital story that will make an impact on the intended audience.

Audacity, Canva, and Perez are some of the application tools that I am using for the production of the story. Make Belief Comic and Book Creator are two tools that will be incorporated into lessons for students to utilize, be creative, collaborate, and enhance their critical thinking. These technology tools are student-friendly flexible, and allow easy customization of their features.

The authentic audience of the story “The Rise” is for people who resonate with the theme and concept, share similar experiences or cultural backgrounds. People will make connections to the story because it embodies social and emotional issues that people encounter daily in their lives, and it also provides a ray of hope that will inspire them to be empowered, develop resilience, persevere, and achieve their goals or desires.

Producing the digital story integrates with the story core, use of multimedia, and self-expression, which enhance my ability to be more creative. I have gained skills in the area of using new multimedia tools as I preview their usages to note which would be suitable and easy to maneuver to produce the story. My knowledge has enhanced as I have learned how to create a story that is well organized, conveying a theme that stimulates the curiosity of the audience.

Incorporating the use of digital storytelling in curriculum instruction will engage, enhance, and extend the learning experience of the students. It also will foster differentiation of content as students from various cultural backgrounds and academic levels will be able to generate their own personal narratives, expository or literary stories.

The use of the visual representation will engage the students as they interact and explore content materials which enhance comprehension. Students will also develop problem-solving skills as they navigate materials to compile their stories. This would also foster students to do self-reflection and develop their ability to take ownership of their learning as they collaborate with their peers.

Authentic learning takes place when students are engaged in digital storytelling because they are allowed to create meaningful stories that resonate with their experience and are of significance to them.

My role as an educator is to be a facilitator as students learn about the elements of a digital story, materials, and media applications. To ensure that lessons are designed that integrate digital storytelling that is relevant, meet grade-level standards and are linked to curriculum standards. As students become consumers of utilizing digital tools to create their stories, it is imperative that I also educate them to be digital citizens that address how they manage their digital identity, abide by copyright laws, and use appropriate language to communicate as they share their stories on different platforms and respond to comments.

The knowledge garnered from the course and integrating it into my class will definitely enhance all subject areas and propel instruction to another level.

 

References

Ed Tech Teacher. (2013). Eight Steps to Great Digital Storytelling. Retrieved from: https://edtechteacher.org/8-steps-to-great-digital-storytelling-from-samantha-on-edudemic/

International Society for Technology in Education. (2017). ISTE Standards For Students: A Practical Guide for Learning with Technology. https://iste.org/standards

University of Houston. (2023). About Digital Storytelling. Retrieved from: https://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/page.cfm?id=27&cid=27

Kapular, D. (September 7, 2018). Top 30 tools and apps for digital storytelling. Tech & Learning.  Retrieved from:  https://www.techlearning.com/tl-advisor-blog/30-sites-and-apps-for-digital-storytelling