Digital storytelling

Digital storytelling brings the ancient tradition of oral storytelling and new technologies together in a powerful, interdisciplinary learning process. Through digital storytelling, we can weave together video, photos, art, music, narration, print, and sound effects using simple multimedia publishing tools to tell our stories.

A digital story is short – usually, one to three minutes in length, narrated in first person using your own voice. Still images are commonly used with camera tools used to frame the shot, and to pan across the photograph, or zoom in or out, creating a sense of movement within an image and across a sequence of images. Music and sound effects are added for dramatic effect and to add emotional tone. Moving image can also be used.

Digital storytelling has broad application across all disciplines and year levels and is a highly motivating, interactive learning process. Making a digital story involves creative and critical thinking, inquiry, writing, discussion, design, production, reflection and presentation. It provides opportunities for students to enhance the expression of their own stories, thoughts and ideas in creative and engaging ways, across a diverse range of learning contexts. Digital stories can be imaginative,  they can be reflective and analytical, and they can be factual. It depends on the purpose of the task, the audience and the genre chosen.

Examples of digital stories

Educational uses of digital storytelling, based at the University of Houston, College of Education provides extensive examples of digital stories.

Software resources

Simple but basic film editing programs include:

iMovie is for Apple Macs