Implementation of digital storytelling in the classroom by teachers trained in a digital storytelling workshop.

摘要

Digital storytelling, one of the new technology applications used in the classroom by teachers, is recognized for its immediate benefits by educators. Certain benefits to students, such as developing 21st century skills, increasing student motivation and engagement, increasing creativity, respecting each others' backgrounds, facilitating discussions in the classroom, helping shy students who are willing to express themselves through stories, and increasing the self-confidence of special needs students are reported in the literature (Banaszewski, 2005; Howell & Howell, 2003; Hull & Nelson 2003; Jakes & Brennan, 2005; Salpeter, 2005; Robin, In press).;Digital storytelling is a relatively new strategy that utilizes multiple technology tools that can be used by teachers and students in K-12 education. The present study lays a foundation for future studies to investigate the implementation of digital storytelling in K-12 classrooms. The study attempted to understand how a group of teachers used digital storytelling in the classroom after they were trained in a workshop at the University of Houston. The following issues were addressed in the study: how digital storytelling was/can be used as a technology tool in the classroom, what effects on students were observed by teachers and possible problems that might arise in the implementation process. The researcher took a case study approach using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods for the study because the case study approach fit best with the particular characteristics and challenges of this project. Given the conditions of the research study, an opportunity sample was used. The population of interest in the study was participants who attended a digital storytelling workshop organized by the Laboratory for Innovative Technology in Education (LITE) at the University of Houston. Two surveys and three interviews were the backbone of the collected research data.;The results of the study suggested that, even though almost all of the teachers' perceptions about using digital stories in the classroom were very positive immediately after the workshops, in practice, more than half of the teachers in the follow up study didn't use digital storytelling during the implementation period at all. The reasons behind not using digital stories in the classroom were discussed with the barriers that teachers faced in the dissertation. The results also suggests that despite the fact that digital storytelling is a powerful tool to convey desired messages around a topic or a subject area by the teachers; in practice it is also a very powerful tool that has positive impacts on students and their performances. The teachers who used digital storytelling in the classroom with their students reported and all agreed that they observed increases in certain skills such as technical skills, presentation skills, research skills, organizational skills, and writing skills with their students. It is noted in the literature that when students actively participate in the creation process of digital storytelling, they most notably develop certain 21st century skills (Howell & Howell, 2003; Jakes, 2006; Robin, In press). Overall, digital stories were reported by teachers as having positive effects on students' 21st century skills. Another important effect observed by teachers was increased motivation and engagement levels in their students. Teachers believed that creating digital stories increased their students' motivation and engagement levels. The findings from this study supported the idea of the "director's chair effect" as well as "being able to express themselves" and "simply being able to use computers" as to why digital storytelling effectively captivates and motivates students (Banaszewski, 2005; Paull, 2002).