Digital storytelling is great for getting students actively engaged in a project. Students have to apply their creativity to make a storyboard, use a camera to film the video, and some type of editing software to create the completed product. Students really have to use their critical thinking skills to tell a story digitally. I think this could be a really great idea for students. Students get to exercise their creativity and have fun while still gleaning necessary information from the lesson. This would be a really fun tool to use in the English/ language arts classroom. I think this type of activity could aid in reading comprehension and sequencing. By creating a storyboard for a short story or part of a play the class is reading, students can visualize what is going on in the story. Shooting the video, doing the artwork, and having the ability to edit the story would allow students some creativity and ownership in a project. I think this would be really helpful for students struggling to retain information from reading assignments.
Math has never been my favorite subject. When it comes down to it, however, I am a very visual learner. I need an example, or several, to follow and apply to a lesson. I have to see how it is done before I can understand. I need to be shown, not told. Thankfully, math lends itself to visualization. Math is taught in examples and problem work. In the chapter, four different methods are discussed that would help engage students in math work. The first example suggested graphing calculators. Graphing calculators allow students to see visuals of abstract ideas. This idea could be helpful since, “Students often have difficulty distinguishing important features of functional relationships.” (p. 198) I have a hard time visualizing in my head. I need to get out of my head and see it on paper or a calculator in my hands. The ability to see a picture almost always aids in understanding of the material. The second method suggested was data sets. I love that the book suggested that teachers allow students to “tinker” with data since this helps them to analyze and, ultimately, understand it. Fathom Dynamic Statistics Software takes the analysis of data sets to a larger, much broader level. Not only does this help increase understanding, but it helps students develop important math skills at the same time. The last method was visual geometry. A lot of the time, students are intimidated by geometry because there are so many formulas and rules. Geometry has a lot going on. Often, students have no idea why they need to use or follow the guidelines and many rules of geometry. They just memorize techniques for the test and then forget. I think if students could better visualize these rules and formulas, they would better understand the rationale behind them.
In some ways, I do think it is possible to learn from watching instruction on television, but I think that there has to be some kind of interaction to really learn. Watching a chef cook a recipe on television doesn’t mean I now know how to make that dish. Yes, they taught me the recipe step-by-step, but I haven’t done it myself. I will still make mistakes if I try it myself without practicing. I think application is so important when it comes to learning. We don’t learn much from what we watch someone else do. While it is good to have an example, we learn by doing. Applying information is a critical part of the learning process.
References:
Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D. (2008). Meaningful learning With Technology (3rd Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
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