The Power of Digital Storytelling to Support Teaching and Learning

TLDR

Digital storytelling has been increasingly adopted by educators and students worldwide over the past two decades, with the University of Houston’s Learning, Design and Technology Program exploring its use for more than twelve years. This paper reviews how digital storytelling supports teaching and learning and offers recommendations and guidelines for educators who wish to teach students to use the technique. The authors created the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling website in 2004 as a resource and provide practical recommendations and guidelines for integrating digital storytelling into educational activities.

Abstract

Although the term “digital storytelling” may not be familiar to all readers, over the last twenty years, an increasing number of educators and students around the world have incorporated this technology into classroom instruction and educational projects. For more than twelve years, faculty members and graduate students in the Learning, Design and Technology Program at the University of Houston College of Education have been exploring the use of digital storytelling to support both teaching and learning. In 2004, the author established the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling website (http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu) to serve as a helpful resource for educators and students who were interested in learning how digital storytelling could be integrated into a variety of educational activities. This paper presents an overview of how digital storytelling has and continues to be used in education to support both teaching and learning. In addition, recommendations and guidelines are presented for educators who would like to teach students to use digital storytelling as an educational endeavor.