Reflection on Blogging

This was my first real experience with blogging. In the past, I have looked at several blogs, but I never really got into them. I prefer reading actual articles and opinion pieces, and then commenting on them, as opposed to reading what often seems like someone’s random thoughts. That may be because I have not found any blogs that discussed topics that really interested me, however. I discovered that I enjoyed blogging, though, and I think the format of this class had something to do with that. I would have been in trouble if I had to come up with my own topic ideas each week, as well as researching and writing about each topic.

It also helped to have several other people who I knew were reading my blog. The constant feedback helped me feel like I was not just randomly posting for no reason. I was also glad that we each had such diverse topics to research. Of the two topics that I had, the one that I found most interesting was digital storytelling. I watch videos on YouTube all the time, but I did not have any idea that YouTube style videos could be used as a tool in the classroom, as they can be through digital storytelling. Digital storytelling is definitely an idea I will keep in mind for the future!

As to the other topics, I really enjoyed learning about concept mapping, NoodleTools, and iTunes U. I have used such software as Inspiration and Kidspiration before, and I was glad to learn more about them. I did not know that iTunes offered something like iTunes U, and although I was not altogether impressed by the content offered, I really like the concept. I especially liked learning about NoodleTools, because I am always on the hunt for a new, easier way to create and format citations. Each of these tools has definite potential for future use in a school library or classroom.

Although I learned a lot from this experience, there were also some difficulties. Since I was creating this blog for a class assignment, I had a hard time achieving the conversational style of posting that most blogs have. I treated a lot of my posts like a real paper, and for that reason, I ended up spending too much time researching and writing, and not enough time actually posting. I also had a difficult time keeping up with the allotted number of posts each week.

I would definitely consider using blogging as a way of connecting with students/patrons in a future library. I may even try it again for myself, but since I never really had much luck with a diary, I do not know if that will work out!

Books about digital storytelling

As I was researching digital storytelling, I noticed that a lot of the results that my database searches yielded were book reviews. Below is a list of several of the books that I found, most of which deal with using it in the classroom. Each listing has a link to that books page on Amazon.com.

Courtney, M. (2007). Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative technologies and tomorrow's user. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

Howell, D.D. & Howell, D.K. (2003). Digital storytelling: Creating an estory. Linworth Publishing.

Miller, C.H. (2004). Digital storytelling: A creator's guide to interactive entertainment. Focal Press.

Ohler, J. (2007). Digital storytelling in the classroom: New media pathways to literacy, learning, and creativity. Corwin Press.

Porter, B. (2005). DigiTales: The art of telling digital stories. Bjpconsulting.

Standley, M. & Ormiston, M. (2003). Digital storytelling with Powerpoint. Visions Technology in Education.

Teehan, K. (2006). Digital storytelling: In and out of the classroom. Lulu.com.

*** As I was looking up the books on digital storytelling on Amazon.com, I also stumbled across this book from the ALA about being a new school library media specialist. It looks interesting, so I listed it here in case you’d like to take a look!

Toor, R. (2006). New on the job: A school library media specialist's guide to success. American Library Association.

Constructing Digital Stories

I found two other interesting resources relating digital storytelling to the classroom. The first one is a brief report entitled 7 things you should know about… Digital Storytelling from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. It gives a case study, explains what digital storytelling is, how to do it, where it is going, downsides, and how it can be applicable to the classroom.

The second resource is an article written by Jon Orech called Tips for Digital Storytelling. It is from Educators’ ezine. In it, he lists several steps to “streamline” the process of digital storytelling for both teachers and students.

Tools to use in digital storytelling

Digital stories can run the gamut, from being very high-tech and made from sophisticated tools, to being pretty low-tech and made from tools that are available to the average computer user. Powerpoint, photos, movie clips, music clips, animation, and sound clips can also be used. Two websites that list more high-tech options are the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling website from the University of Houston and the Digital Storytelling Tools website from the electronic portfolio of Dr. Helen Barrett. Both websites list software and hardware compatible with Macs or PCs.

Webquests

Recently, we discussed webquests on our class discussion boards. I think that well-done and well-thought out webquests can be quite beneficial to students. I also think that in a way, webquests are a little bit like digital storytelling. Both things are introducing students to learning in a new way/medium. In webquests, the student’s task is to follow an online instructional map from their teacher. They must fulfill certain tasks in order to move on to the next level and learn what they are supposed to. In digital storytelling, students must take a topic and create their own instructional map, so that by the time they are finished, they will have a product that informs others about their topic. Both things teach students by requiring them to follow a computer-related process.

Choosing a Digital Storytelling topic

Digital storytelling is a medium that can be used in almost any classroom, on any subject. Students can create digital stories about themselves, or they can focus on a topic that is more class-related. The website techteachers.com by Meg Ormiston contains a long list of Ideas for Digital Storytelling Across the Curriculum. Some of these ideas include:

• Creating a digital story from the perspective of either Lewis or Clark (social studies)
• Creating a digital story about the “fading small farmer” (science)
• Creating a digital story that “compare[s] and contrast[s] fairy tales from various regions (language arts)
• Creating a digital story that “explain[s] to others a concept like adding fractions using real life examples” (math)

That website contains many more great ideas for other subjects as well.

The University of Houston also has a great website about digital storytelling. One page gives examples of digital stories broken into three categories: “Digital Stories as Personal Narratives,” “Digital Stories that Examine Historical Events,” and “Stories that Inform or Instruct.” Although these stories were created by professors and college students, these examples can still be a valuable resource for teachers.

Webinars

This past week, we discussed webinars. I think that they are a very interesting concept, especially for professional development. The convenience and affordability that webinars provide could make it easier for more people to have more professional development opportunities. However, one thing we discussed was its impact on networking, and in that regard, I think webinars are a double-edged sword. They are indeed very convenient and helpful, but in the long run, I wonder what the effect will be on face-to-face, in-person professional development opportunities. Webinars could be a boon for lazy people, shy people, or people who just don’t want to bother to get out there and meet people. So from that perspective, I don’t know if that is necessarily a good thing.

Digital Storytelling in a Catholic School

The article “This Digital Storytelling,” written by Sister Angela Ann Zukowski in the February/March issue of the magazine/journal Momentum discusses the implementation of digital storytelling and the benefits it can have for students. Zukowski explains that “a digital story is a digital video clip, told in the author’s own voice, illustrated mostly with still images, with an optional music track added for emotional effect, and/or a voiceover… [and that they] can be instructional, persuasive, historical or reflective” (90). She also comments that digital storytelling can be a very good creative exercise, because not only does it require students to actually come up with an idea for a story, but they must also plan it and create it, using such traditional methods as storyboarding and story mapping. Digital storytelling is also a valuable tool in teaching media literacy – “we want students not only to learn with media, but also to learn and think critically about media. Digital stories provide powerful media-literacy learning opportunities because students are involved in the creation and analysis of the media in which they are immersed… they can see more clearly the persuasive nature of the electronic culture in which they live” (91). This article was very interesting for me personally, not just because I am researching digital storytelling, but also because of the Catholic school angle. I am a graduate of 12 years of Catholic education, and although I loved my schools, I don’t think they were really at the forefront of educational trends. I was pleased to read this article, which seems to be embracing the idea of using digital storytelling in the classroom.

Zukowski, A. A. (February/March 2008). This digital storytelling [Electronic version]. Momentum, 90-91.

Center for Digital Literacy

The Center for Digital Literacy is located in Berkeley, California and has been in existence since 1994. They are a largely volunteer-supported “community arts center” and their focus is “education, community building and social change.” They have worked on projects with other organizations both in and out of the U.S., including the BBC, Digital Clubhouse Network, and Australian Centre for the Moving Image. A list with more information about these projects can be found on their Case Studies page. They also offer workshops in multiple locations, including one specifically aimed at K-12 teachers. Besides that sort of information, their website has a wealth of information about digital storytelling, as well as many different examples of it.