EDUCATIONAL USES OF DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN K-12: RESEARCH RESULTS OF A DIGITAL STORYTELLING CONTEST (DISTCO) 2013

Abstract

This paper describes the results of a research study about DISTCO 2012, the fourth in a series of Digital Storytelling Contests. The DISTCO 2012 was open to all K-12 students and teachers on both national and international levels. The project was designed so students and teachers from different schools may submit original digital stories within a specified time frame and in a certain manner for the contest. The competition was held solely online, and original digital stories were required to be submitted using an official contest website (http://www.distco.org). This article will outline and describe the research results of DISTCO 2012. Specifically, this paper analyzes students’ and teachers’ perspectives on using digital stories in the classroom, the motivating factors, and preferred content areas for digital story. In addition, grade level differences in the use of digital storytelling will be discussed.