Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 1

Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from

historical and sociolinguistic perspectives

Justin Wu

Final Assignment: Scholarly Essay

The University of British Columbia

ETEC 511- 64C

Professor: Matiul Alam

December 2nd, 2018

Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 2

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the importance of using storytelling in the curriculum

and explores how educators can incorporate technology to facilitate students’ creation and

sharing their stories in a digital manner. The first section begins with how stories originated,

from cave drawings to oral and written traditions. The next section focuses on the definition of

what digital storytelling is and the impact that it has when used in our classrooms. Following,

will be a section that explains the factors that contribute to the use of technology in schools and

our classrooms. The paper concludes with potential challenges that some teachers face when it

comes to evaluation and assessment of digital stories.

Introduction

It is in our nature to tell stories and inform others of our events, whether they are factual

or fictional. However, the way we communicate with others has changed drastically over time.

Storytelling originated with oral traditions in which stories were being passed down from

generation to generation through word of mouth, and then shifted to written forms such as cave

drawings and the written language. There was then a shift to words and these stories were now

being documented on paper through ink and print. Due to the advancing technologies such as the

printing press, the camera and the internet, the way we tell stories and keep ourselves informed

about current topics has shifted. Technology has allowed humans to utilize all forms of

storytelling though the years: visual stories in photographs, spoken stories in videos and

recordings, and written words on blogs and social media.

Children in today’s classrooms are growing up digital as they are surrounded by

technology such as computers, tablets, and smartphone devices. Parents, teachers, and
Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 3

administrators are acknowledging the role technology plays in teaching our students what it

means to be literate in the digital age. Digital storytelling is a creative method used to tell a story

while interacting with technology. “Digital storytelling is even more important as a tool to

humanize teaching and learning and to make the learning even more relevant to the students”

(Ohler, 2013). When creating a digital story, students are communicating, thinking critically and

using their creativity – the three core competencies found in BC’s New Curriculum. The

redesigned curriculum “aims to provide flexibility to inspire the personalization of learning that

addresses the diverse needs and interests of BC students” (BC Ministry of Education, 2016).

Digital storytelling is a powerful tool that allows students from a variety of backgrounds and

skill sets to work collaboratively with their peers, while engaging in projects that develop their

language skills. Storytelling is a traditional method used to teach about cultural beliefs, values,

customs, rituals, history, relationships, and ways of life, that goes back from many generations

ago (Ohler, 2013) and happens around the world. Through digital storytelling, we can continue

the tradition of storytelling, while using digital platforms such as YouTube, to connect ourselves

with people across the globe.

How Stories Originated

It is unknown when the first story was told, but traditionally, storytelling began in oral

traditions. Storytelling predates writing, where the earliest forms of storytelling were expressed

orally and combined with gestures and expressions. “Stories in tradition come in all shapes and

sizes, for example: myths, legends, wonder tales, fairy tales, fables, hero stories, teaching stories,

oral histories and more” (Parkinson & Warwick, 2017). As families grouped together in their

communities, the storyteller, who was good at telling heroic events or teaching lessons of the
Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 4

tribe, began to tell these interesting stories and people in the village began to listen to them.

Basic social values, skills, and wisdoms all show up when these stories are being told. These

stories stuck and have been told and retold through generations, and were being shared with

others in faraway lands when people travelled.

The earliest documented forms of sharing written information came from cave drawings

and symbols. While cave drawings have been cited as early evidence of human art, these

drawings, some from 10,000 – 40,000 years ago, are the first glimmers of graphic

communication among humans before the written word. “Crude drawings on rock and cave walls

are the earliest methods of communication which we know. Though it was cumbersome and

slow it helped to convey ideas and past events to other people” (Chakravarthi, 1992). These

drawings and marks share a lot about the history of these groups of people and their form of

communication; however, “they are not classified as writing, as true writing consist of a set of

symbols and rules in which we call language” (Ong, 1982). Prehistoric signs and cave drawings

do not have the complexity of a writing system, but they would qualify as an early form of

graphic communication.

The invention of the written word didn’t formulate until around 3200 BC, which we

consider a fairly recent invention. Some of the earliest written stories are: The Bible, Homer’s

Odyssey, the Indian Vedas, and the Mayan Codices. It is very likely that these stories were being

transcribed from oral traditions, where storytellers began to document and write their stories

down. Bibles were copied out by hand and manually being bounded up until 1450 when

Gutenberg invented the printing press. The printing press made it easy to create and distribute

mass productions of these stories. “The first newspapers were written or printed letters. In the

seventeenth century, English country gentlemen used to employ correspondents to write them
Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 5

once a week from London the gossip of the court and of the town” (Park, 1923). As technology

has continued to advance, telling stories has evolved to and are now being told in various ways

such as: oral traditions, books, photographs and letters, recorded conversations, poetry and

performance, radio, and many more.

What is a Digital Storytelling?

Digital storytelling combines the best of two worlds: the ‘new world’ of digitized video,

photography and art, and the ‘old world’ of telling stories. Almost all digital stories bring

together some mixture of digital graphics, text, recorded audio narration, video and music that

revolves around a chosen theme and often contains a particular viewpoint. Normally, digital

stories are between two to four minutes long, and most often told in first person narrative, that is

recorded in the narrator’s own voice, and mostly illustrated with still images and optional music

to add an emotional tone. “Research shows that storytelling as a pedagogical tool, is an effective

means of imparting knowledge, beliefs, and traditions” (Sudwardy, Pan, & Seow, 2013).

Digital stories are being used in classrooms as a way for students to demonstrate their

learning through creating a multimedia project that allows students to use their creative thinking,

critical thinking and communication skills. In 2016, British Columbia’s Ministry of Education

piloted their New Curriculum that took away ‘Performance Learning Outcomes’ and replaced

them with ‘Curricular Competencies.’ With this change, BC’s Ministry of Education places a

bigger emphasis on the deeper understanding of concepts and the application of processes, rather

than on the memorization of isolated facts and information (BC Ministry of Education, 2016).

Through digital storytelling, students can share their understanding of curricular content and

their ability to perform curricular competencies through a hands-on project. In addition, digital
Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 6

stories can be used cross curricula; they are not just limited to language arts. Combining the arts

& humanities curriculum to other areas of study gives students a better understanding of how

their learning is blended together, providing them deeper learning contexts. Digital storytelling

binds the power of audiovisuals to engage students’ auditory and visual senses in ways that the

traditional printed textbooks can never accomplish. “The combination of text, image, and audio

motivates students to engage in deep learning, something which is far from surprising given the

extent to which today’s students are familiar with this form of interaction” (Suwardy, Pan, &

Seow, 2013). Students are being raised in the digital age and it has changed the way they learn.

Students must share their evidence of learning in ways that are meaningful to themselves, not

just appealing to us.

How Does Digital Storytelling Impact the Classroom?

No matter what technology comes in the future, stories are now being produced and

published digitally, whether it is through YouTube videos or Snapchat. “While digital stories are

typically viewed as an event on a computer screen, written work provides the foundation and

blueprint needed to give them life” (Ohler, 2008). Creating these digital media projects compels

students to focus on the use of language in ways that they may not necessarily focus on when

writing is the only final product. Since digital stories often employ spoken narrative, students get

to hear what their writing sounds like by recording the script and using the audio clip to

accompany their visual media. In the older elementary and high school level, “students put more

time and energy into writing scripts for their plays they performed and the videos they filmed

than they did writing essays and research papers” (Ohler, 2008). Not only are our students hitting

the English Language standards: writing, outlining, planning, narration, editing, listening, and
Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 7

speaking, students are also meeting the standards for technology, media literacy and critical

thinking found in BC’s Applied Designs, Skills and Technology (ADST) curriculum. In addition

to giving our students an outlet for expression or motivation to improve their writing skills in a

different manner, digital storytelling allows teachers to differentiate so that every student can be

successful.

Creating an inclusive classroom means that teachers are developing curricula that meets

the needs of every student; if students’ needs are not being met, then teachers must “alter the

teaching and learning process to differentiate instruction for their students” (Mahoney & Hall,

2017). Teachers are recognizing the importance of digital literacy and how technology can help

support the needs of all learners in the classroom, including students with: physical and/or

developmental disabilities, English language learners, exceptional students, and all of our neuro-

typical students. “The internet can play a crucial role in helping teachers transform their curricula

by providing space for diversity of voices, perspectives, and experiences to be shared in the

classroom” (Lock & Kingsley, 2007). Students have the option to add as much text or as little

text into their stories as they would like, and they are able to use still pictures or use film that

they have directed and recorded themselves to create their stories. Creating stories allow our

students to take ownership of their learning, as they begin to create, edit, and recreate these

digital artifacts.

Mobile devices promote attentiveness, are highly engaging and are easily adapted to

differentiate instruction. With the increased use of iPads, computers and mobile devices in

classrooms, digital storytelling has become easily accessible. Digital storytelling can be created

through coding programs such as Scratch, iMovie, and Stop Motion. These are all free online

resources that can be accessed on a computer or on a mobile device, making it a reasonable

Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 8

choice for classrooms to use. Once the final products are completed, students are able to share

their stories with peers, teachers, parents, and the online community.

Factors That Contribute to Use of Technology in Our Classrooms

Incorporating digital storytelling into classrooms can produce numerous benefits, such as:

engagement with the assignment, increased efforts about the construction of their projects,

collaborating with their peers to configure their stories, and using multimedia software and

computer technology in meaningful ways. There is no doubt that technologies can help enhance

learning, yet some teachers feel reluctant to incorporate it into their practice. The curriculum

requires that teachers develop general information about technologies without any proper

training or professional development on what programs to use and how to integrate these

technologies into the curriculum. Since teachers are often left to learn for themselves when it

comes to technology, they may find themselves spending hours on end watching tutorials,

reading online materials, and spending countless hours on the apps and programs just figuring

out how to use the devices and the programs. “A teacher must be willing to invest significant

amounts of time and energy to reap these rewards, but with such an investment comes the

satisfaction of seeing students share their stories” (Michalski, Hodges, & Banister, 2005).

Clearly, teachers cannot undertake these changes on their own, especially if they lack

professional development supports from their administration and their district. This is why

training teachers to perform the expected tasks, such as creating digital stories with computer

technology is essential. Furthermore, tasks of leadership, such as workshops, professional

development, and mentorships are required to stimulate implementation within each school

district.
Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 9

Another concern is that not all students or teachers have access to these devices at home

or at school. Technology is evolving at a faster rate than most schools can afford to keep up with,

and after a couple of years, most devices will be deemed outdated and will need new batteries or

software to be functional. “Some social factors impede technology implementation such as costs,

available funds, security, and technical support may limit the overall decision to deploy an

innovation, but also which specific technology will be adopted” (Accuosti, 2014). This

restriction is problematic for some teachers because part of the less frequent use of technology in

their classrooms’ may be attributed to the lack of technology resources that are in place at their

schools. And simply, districts do not have enough money to purchase new technology every few

years as this can become extremely costly.

Lastly, some teachers do not believe that technology will transform the class and align

with the learning goals of their curriculum. “If teachers find intrinsic value in technology, it will

create the context for successful implementation” (Accuosti, 2014). Teacher’s motivation stems

from their belief in the educational value of the technology for students and from what they see

happening in their classrooms. The technology itself will not transform learning for the children;

rather, it is the lesson plan attached to the technology that makes the process of learning

important. Regardless of the various reasons mentioned above, there needs to be more support

for teachers and training that addresses the many issues teachers face, or else teachers will run

into the risk of creating a generation of ill-prepared students for a digital future.

Digital Storytelling and Assessment

Student assessments are an integral part of the learning process. According to BC’s New

Curriculum, “Assessment involves the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to
Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 10

identify student learning needs, measure competency acquisition, and evaluate students’ progress

toward meeting provincial learning standards” (BC Ministry of Education, 2016). With digital

storytelling, students can create amazing projects with a greater range of creativity without ever

having to be a stellar artist or writer. Instead, they can tell stories in their own ways and on their

own terms. There are many times when paper and pencil tests and writing assignments are still

necessary, so using alternative assessments whenever possible allows students to demonstrate

their learning in various ways that are suitable to their learning styles. Students learn to self-

reflect, set goals for their future, and they are encouraged to take responsibility of their own

learning. Digital stories provide opportunities for students to develop the core competencies

outlined in BC’s New Curriculum, while understanding that the process of design is equally

important to the final digital artifact.

Rubrics are the most common form of assessment for digital stories. Each rubric

generally includes scales that provide descriptions of different levels of achievement or an

understanding of a set of criteria. Some examples of descriptors include, “How well did the story

work?” “Did the images create an atmosphere or tone?” “Is the voice quality clear and

consistently audible throughout the presentation?” (Ohler, 2018). These rubrics can be filled out

by the teacher, by the students themselves and their peers, or combined where the teacher and the

student have a conference to see where their project fits according to the rubric. Digital

Storytelling can be utilized to engage students in a creative process, as well as demonstrate

learning outcomes in an authentic and meaningful way for our students.

Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 11

Conclusion

Children are generally inquisitive and innovative when it comes to using technology.

Since most children interact with technology on a daily basis, it is important to teach them how

to use them successfully in the classroom, such as creating digital stories. Digital storytelling

using computer programming such as iMovie and Stop Motion allows students to collaborate,

create, and engage with language, while sharing their creations with others using the

technological skills needed for their future. In addition, it is important for teachers to share their

innovative approaches with the educational community through classroom websites, blogs, and

social media. Continued research, professional development, and mentorship is vital as we

introduce new technologies to our classrooms and neighbouring schools, as technology is

inevitably becoming our children’s future.

Examining the use of digital storytelling approach from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives 12

References:

Accuosti, J. (2014). Factors Affecting Education Technology Success.

Banister S., Hodges D., & Michalski, P. (2005) Digital Storytelling in the Middle Childhood
Special Education Classroom: A teacher’s story of adaptations. TEACHING Exceptional
Children Plus, 1(4) Article 3. Retrieved [date] from
http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol1/iss4/3

BC Ministry of Education. (2016). BC’s New Curriculum. Retrieved from:

http://curriculum.gov.bc.ca

Chakravarthi, P. (1992). The history of communications-from cave drawings to mail messages.

IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, 7(4), 30-35. doi:10.1109/62.143196

David Parkinson & Laura Warwick (2017) Stimulating Thinking at the Design Pitch.
Storytelling Approach and Impact, The Design Journal, 20:sup1, S4509-
S4518, DOI: 10.1080/14606925.2017.1352947

Lock, R. H., & Kingsley, K. V. (2007). Empower Diverse Learners With Educational
Technology and Digital Media. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(1), 52-56.
doi:10.1177/10534512070430010701

Mahoney, J., & Hall, C. (2017). Using technology to differentiate and accommodate students
with disabilities. E-Learning and Digital Media, 14(5), 291-303. Retrieved from
http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/pdf/10.1177/2042753017751517

Ohler, J. (2008) Digital storytelling in the classroom: New media pathways to literacy, learning,
and creativity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Ohler, J. (2008). Computers and Composition. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media
Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity, 25, 449-452. Retrieved from https://ac-els-cdn-
com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/S8755461508000686/1-s2.0-S8755461508000686-
main.pdf?_tid=7b787f8c-d7e7-4f00-8150-
dd88c6820849&acdnat=1540175433_7737cb4410c13c93c6fa6f284fc4f993

Ong, W. J. (1982). Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word. London: Methuen.

Park, R. (1923). The Natural History of the Newspaper. American Journal of Sociology, 29(3),
273-289. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/2764232

Suwardy, T., Pan, G. & Seow, P. (2013) Using digital Storytelling to Engage Student Learning.
Accounting Education, 22(2). Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.1080/09639284.2012.748505

Williams, K. (2010). Read all about it!: a history of the British newspaper. London: Routledge