Digital Storytelling Workshops

Eduweave offers customized training programs for students in digital storytelling. Participants attending the workshops will be able to:

• Reflect on issues and stories relevant to their lives
• Develop a personal voice
• Improve communication and story narration skills
• Develop skills in using computers to create digital media content
• Develop critical media literacy (visual, auditory) skills

What is digital storytelling?

It is an approach that combines oral storytelling with digital media technologies and a structured first-person story development process to help create personal narratives. The product, about 2-4 minutes in duration, weaves together images, sound and text and can take the form of a mini-documentary or a short film to be screened in a room with a computer and projection system, on television or on the web. This form of media-making is that it puts the tools of production directly into the hands of the storyteller who is responsible for writing, recording, and editing his/her own work.

How is digital storytelling being used in education?

Digital storytelling is being embraced in K-12 classrooms, after-school programs, special education classes and adult learning centers around the world as more and more educators recognize its potential as a tool for developing the student voice. It has a natural home in a writing or technology class, but even in subject areas like science and social studies, students are being asked to present their knowledge about a scientific concept or historical event and make a personal connection to it via digital stories. In portfolio assessments this form of expression is used to showcase the student's progress and achievements. Educators also recognize the importance of using digital storytelling to foster ties with the community.

Digital storytelling is inherently engaging and motivating. Students are drawn to it because of their interest in various media forms - radio, television, film, video games and the web, to name a few. Once in, they learn other valuable skills including how to develop a narrative, how to research and synthesize information for this new medium, how to communicate with an audience (not just a paper for a teacher to read), how to use computer technologies effectively and how to evaluate their own work.

The digital storytelling movement was pioneered in the 90's by Center for Digital Storytelling

Eduweave partnered with UNESCO on its 'Finding a Voice' project, a multi-year, multi-nation initiative between UNESCO, UNDP, Queensland University of Technology and University of Adelaide focusing on innovative applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for poverty reduction, with an emphasis on local content creation. Learn more about Eduweave's project - Taking Digital Storytelling to India