Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1525262
L O W S T U D E N T E N G A G E M E N T and artificial intelligence have everyone wondering about the future of teaching and learning. In my new book, Storytelling With Purpose: Digital Projects to Ignite Student Curiosity (ISTE, 2024), I offer solutions to these problems — student-created, nonfiction digital story projects — that provide highly engaging, authentic learning experiences and "uncheatable" assessments. Digital storytelling provides a learning framework for our curriculum that energizes our classrooms and empowers stu- dents to become resilient, curious and literate citizens. Rather than being an add-on to our workload, digital storytelling proj- ects amplify what teachers already do best, and help students see the joy and purpose of learning — in every grade level and subject area. What Is Digital Storytelling? As educators, we ask students to tell stories of their learning all the time through essays, lab reports, presentations, discussions and performances. Digital story projects enhance these experi- ences by embedding purpose and relevance into the curriculum (especially when publishing for an authentic audience) and pro- viding multimodal learning experiences. Nonfiction digital stories encompass a broad range of multi- media formats and tools that allow students to communicate ideas effectively to an audience. ese can include photographs, digital books, audio recordings and podcasts, data visualizations and infographics, editorial illustrations and graphic novels, and video documentaries. The Benefits of Digital Storytelling When we use digital storytelling as a framework for learning, it can help us solve some of the biggest challenges we face in education right now, including student engagement, equitable assessment and media literacy. One of my favorite story projects, the explainer video, is a perfect example of multimodal learning. These short videos, created with presentation apps like Keynote or Google Slides, allow students to explain a topic, show a process or advocate a point of view through images, video, text and voice-over. e ability to publish these explainers publicly provides purpose and meaning for our students, since they know their work will be seen by others beyond the classroom and have the potential to make an impact. ese kinds of projects are also more inclusive and equitable than traditional assignments. Unlike an essay or report, explain- ers allow students to choose how they show their learning. Students who are language learners or have learning disabilities may struggle with written assignments, for example, and shy or socially challenged students may stumble in class presentations, speeches or Socratic seminars. But digital storytelling empowers them to leverage their strengths. It emphasizes authenticity. Our students are often assigned work that ends up in the trash, or at best, displayed in the class- room for a few weeks. is sends a strong message that their work doesn't matter, and that their effort is in vain. To motivate our students to care about their learning, we need to give our assignments purpose beyond the con- fines of our classroom walls. Digital story telling projects An expert educator's digital projects to ignite student curiosity By Michael Hernandez Storytelling Purpose With 43 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 24 Teaching & Learning Y C K M Final Trim Size: 8" x 5" 8.25" x 5.25" Bleed 7" x 4.687 Live Area Colors 4/0 CMYK