|
21st century learners interact with multiliteracies and their identities through the use of many different semiotic modes in their day to day lives. Far too often however, teachers still use mode determinism, and have students transfer their knowledge to pen and paper, or typed text writing assignments.
Digital storytelling is a way for students to share their ‘stories’ using technological tools, to design, create and present stories in multiple formats using a variety of modalities. Through the use of digital storytelling, students are able to use their knowledge of multimodalities in order to create meaning, and engage an audience in multimodal texts that they have designed and created using a variety of resources (Angay-Crowder, Choi, & Yi, 2013). Angay-Crowder et al (2013) suggest that a digital storytelling pedagogy allows students chances “(a) to explore, express, and reflect themselves (Skinner & Hagood, 2008); (b) to enhance critical thinking (Ohler, 2005); (c) to foster academic achievement (Yang & Wu, 2012); and (d) to build leadership skills (Guajardo et al., 2011)” (Angay-Crowder, Choi, & Yi, 2013, p. 38). Through the use of multiple modes, digital storytelling, better allows students to signify their identities, and represent their thoughts and ideas, as they are not restricted by monomodal print-based narratives. The additional modes that digital storytelling offers students helps them use the tools they know (or may come to know through the curriculum) to develop an appreciation for the significance of other modes, and how to make choices about which mode may suit their ‘writing’ best (Angay-Crowder, Choi, & Yi, 2013). Further, through the many online platforms that currently exist, and will continue to develop into the future, students will have a wider audience for whom they are creating these text for. This audience will also be active in critiquing the text, and helping support its structure by providing ways for improvement, not to mention the motivation that a wider audience might have on student engagement. |