Flickr and Digital Storytelling: Part 1

Day 240: Classroom in Korea, a photo by Cali4beach on Flickr.

The photo above is from a classroom in Korea; an environment that I hope to teach English in within a couple of years. 

     The saying that "A picture says a thousand words" is still applicable to today. Although photos are now mostly digital, the saying still applies. Storytelling has existed as a means of communication between people, as it has been used for sharing wisdom, entertainment, or personal experiences. Since then, it has been passed down and storytelling holds no limits; parents and teachers alike tell stories to children in order to sustain a moral compass within their children or students. With technology being heavily involved in our lives, the practice of "Digital Storytelling" is on the rise. What separates Digital Storytelling from physical storytelling is the various ways in which the stories can be told through visuals. Storytelling with books includes visuals, although they do not contain any audio or video elements that are included in Digital Storytelling. Just as the preceding methods of storytelling, Digital Storytelling is described by the online article, "7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling as being "instructional, persuasive, historical, or reflective. The resources available to incorporate into a digital story are virtually limitless, giving the storyteller enormous creative latitude." 

      Digital Storytelling allows for students to express themselves in an appropriate environment. As many students turn to social networking to voice their personal problems or feelings, students may harness that voice and apply it into storytelling or poetry through Digital Storytelling. Social networks are dangerous places for youths to express themselves, while Digital stories told by students to teachers can allow for some guidance or exposure to others on possibly hidden artistic talents. For teaching, as described by the article, "Creating and watching digital stories has the potential to increase the information literacy of a wide range of students. Moreover, digital stories are a natural fit for e-portfolios, allowing students not only to select representative artifacts from their academic careers but also to create compelling resources that demonstrate the student’s learning and growth." 

      As it can be seen from this quote, students can take pictures like the one above, build a collection of it and use it to create their own stories and increase possibilities of enhancing their literary senses. Applying Digital Storytelling would also be very suitable for an L2 classroom environment. Students who may not be confident with their English in a classroom setting would be able to take time to be by themselves and put together a digital story in a comfortable setting. In addition, with digital stories, students who may not find the activities in the classroom interesting would have a tool that they would be able to take interest in. As technology today has made personal video more accessible and easier to use as well as society's investment in the media, students would take interest in creating their own videos and digital stories as opposed to the older methods which many may have a lack of interest in. With the Flickr image above in mind, as well as the practice of digital storytelling; how can we combine the two?